Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

To:	Dave Corliss Interim City Manager
From:	Debbie Van Saun Asst. City Manager
cc:	Ron Olin, Police Chief Frank Reeb, Administrative Services Director Damon Thomas, LPOA Chairman
Date:	May 30, 2006
Re:	Agenda item

Please place the following item on the City Commission agenda for consideration at their June 6, 2006 meeting:

Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Lawrence and the Lawrence Police Officer’s Association (LPOA).

As a result of the successful completion of negotiations with the LPOA executive board, the attached Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been ratified by the LPOA and is submitted to the City Commission for approval.  A summary of the items of significance within the submitted MOU is presented below:

· Term of agreement - The memorandum covers a two year term, effective January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2008.

· Compensation – a 3% general wage adjustment for 2007.  In 2008, the members covered under this agreement will receive the same general wage adjustment as other city employees.

· Vacation Accrual Rates – Phase 2 of the implementation schedule recommended by the Benefits Committee for 2008 for vacation accrual rates (per the September, 2004 report previously approved) will be accelerated and become effective in 2007.

· Maximum Vacation Accrual – during 2006, the LPOA and the City will meet to discuss an increase to the maximum number of vacation hours the members covered under this agreement can accrue.  The LPOA is recommending an increase from 240 hours to 320 hours.

· Education Reimbursement – a maximum of 15 credit hours annually per employee for reimbursement of education expenses has been established.  The rate for reimbursement will be at 75% of the University of Kansas tuition rate.

· Compensation for Court Time – a change of wording within the MOU was made to better reflect existing operating procedures within the department.

· Miscellaneous Language Changes – some sections of the existing MOU were outdated or needed minor grammatical changes and these changes are reflected in the attached version.

· Update City Resolution – During 2006, the City and the LPOA will meet jointly to consider proposed changes to the terms of Resolution 5063, with special emphasis on negotiating mutually agreeable deadlines for the negotiation process that better conform to the timetable of the annual budget process.

My appreciation is extended to the following members of the negotiating team for their participation and cooperation in working on issues of mutual concern:

Damon Thomas, LPOA Chairman                        Ron Olin, Police Chief

Troy Squire, LPOA Vice-Chairman                        Captain David Cobb

Mike Verbanic, LPOA Secretary                           Captain Stephen Zarnowiec

Justin Rhoads, LPOA Treasurer                           Frank Reeb, Adm. Services Director

Jonathan Douglas, Mgt. Analyst

City Commission Action:  The City Commission is requested to approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the attached Memorandum of Understanding with the Lawrence Police Officer’s Association.