Lawrence Police officers watch the intersection of 9th and Indiana while Lawrence firefighters battle an early morning blaze at 1005 Indiana in this July 31, 2008 file photo. Lawrence police officers and firefighters would receive a raise less than the 1.5 percent raise received in 2009 under the tentative agreement that city commissioners will consider Tuesday.

Lawrence police officers and firefighters will receive at least a 1.5 percent raise in 2009, under a proposed set of deals that city commissioners will consider Tuesday.

After protracted negotiations that required a federal labor mediator, the employee organizations for both the police officers and firefighters have agreed to new wage deals.

“We’re very pleased to have reached an agreement that will work for the city and both employment groups,” said Diane Stoddard, the assistant city manager who represented the city in the negotiations.

The 1.5 percent general wage increase is less than the 2 percent increase that firefighters and police officers received this year. Like past years, though, firefighters and police officers also will be eligible for merit pay increases that range from zero percent to 5 percent.

A key sticking point of the negotiations was how much longevity pay employees would receive. Previously, the city has provided a year-end longevity payment to employees with five or more years of service. The bonus previously has been $4 for every month served. In the 2009 budget, city commissioners cut the longevity payment to $2 per month.

The reduction caused both groups to declare negotiations at an impasse. After meeting with a federal mediator, a compromise was reached that will keep the $2 per month amount in the budget, but with the understanding that the City Commission in November 2009 will review the city’s finances and consider increasing it to $4 per month.

Mike McMillen, president of the local firefighters group, said the longevity payment was a key part of the city’s compensation program.

“We wanted to clear up that a longevity payment is not a bonus,” McMillen said. “It is part of the compensation plan. It has been around for more than 30 years. There are a lot of people who put in a lot of time serving the city, and this is a way to reward that.”

The new labor contracts – which commissioners must approve before they become final – are only for one year. Previously, the city has been able to negotiate multiyear contracts with the groups.

Under the proposed contracts, the starting annual wage for a police officer would be $40,268, while the starting wage for a firefighter would be $40,389.

The negotiations with the fire and police groups had caused city leaders to put on hold salary plans for all other city employees. As part of the 2009 budget, commissioners did not spell out a specific wage increase for the city’s employees. Instead, the budget included about $1.3 million for increased compensation to be split among police, fire and other city employees.

Stoddard said the city’s management team will now begin working on pay plans for the remaining city employees. City commissioners have expressed an interest in moving away from the system of giving a general wage increase to employees, and instead basing all compensation increases on employee evaluations.

Because the new contracts with the police and firefighters include general wage increases, it isn’t yet known whether city staff will try to eliminate the general wage increase for other city employees in 2009.