Council sets salaries for manager, police, firefighters

McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook City Council unanimously approved the new salary of the city manager at $112,453, at the regular meeting Tuesday night.

Beginning Oct. 1, the 12-month salary of City Manager Nate Schneider will increase from its current $106,545 to $112,453. The new salary includes a cost of living raise at 2%, a 2.5% merit raise and a 1% longevity raise. The salary was approved on first reading, the council voting to suspend three readings.

After the regular meeting Tuesday night, the council met in closed, executive session for collective bargaining sessions with the police and fire unions. After the closed session, the council re-convened in open session and approved agreements between the city and the unions.

The McCook Professional Firefighters Association Local 2100 proposed two collective agreements that the council approved. Both agreement are for five years. Changes in the agreements included:

-increased the uniform stipend provision from $500 to $750. The increase was attributed to the increased costs associated with purchasing new fire safety clothes, particularly boots.

-If a lieutenant is not working his/her regularly scheduled shirt, the longest tenured firefighter on that shift shall assume the lieutenant’s responsibilities for that shift, known as fire-fighter-in-charge. To compensate for that increased responsibility, the firefighter-in-charge will receive lieutenant’s pay during that shift.

-The maximum compensatory time accrued under both agreements will be reduced from 216 hours to 168 hours.

The agreement with Fraternal Order of the Police, Lodge 57, implements the results of a wage study the city began in February 2020 with Paul Essmann. The study includes data from 12 similarly-sized sized towns in Nebraska, such as Alliance, Crete, Holdrege, Seward and York, with six towns smaller and six towns larger.

From the study, the median and maximum wages for police officers were $19.85 to $27.34.Median and maximum wages for dispatchers were $15.01 to $19.45. Overall, the proposed changes in wages for the police department came to $50,393.82.