City dips into contingency fund for firefighters’ retroactive pay

The city will use about $131,000 from its contingency fund to cover retroactive pay for Kingston’s firefighters under a new labor contract.

During a meeting Tuesday, the Common Council unanimously adopted a resolution to transfer $131,186.95 to the fire department. The money will cover the cost of 2017 and 2018 retroactive pay owed to firefighters as part of a three-year contract the city reached with the Kingston Professional Firefighters Association earlier this year.

The new contract, retroactive to the beginning of January 2017, gives firefighters salary increases of 2 percent per year for 2017, 2018 and 2019. The city’s total cost for the raises will be $692,350, officials have said.

The 2019 raises will be included in next year’s general city budget.

The union’s previous contract, a five-year deal,

expired at the end of 2016.

The new contract calls for union members to continue contributing 10 percent, up to a maximum of $3,000, toward the cost of their health insurance.

Kingston Professional Firefighters Association Local 461 represents members of the Kingston

The new contract calls for union members to continue contributing 10 percent, up to a maximum of $3,000, toward the cost of their health insurance.

Fire Department.

The city’s two other public employee unions, the Police Benevolent Association and the Civil Service Employees Association, also have been without contracts since the end of 2016 and are seeking new deals.

Negotiations with those two unions are actively continuing, Mayor Steve Noble said Wednesday.