July 18, 2023 – At its July 17 meeting, the Decatur City Council approved a contract for the International Association of Firefighters Local 505 Union, extended the existing moratorium on new video gaming licenses and approved the purchase of new hybrid buses, among other business.
After three years without a contract, the city reached an agreement with the local firefighters’ union for pay and benefits through December 31, 2024. Highlights of the new contract include backpay for salary increases, a 3% salary increase in 2024, a one-time $1,000 COVID-19 stipend for union members employed for one year between March 2020 and December 2021 and a newly established number of fire inspectors.
In addition to a newly negotiated contract, the city will purchase twelve new GPS intersection units for the Decatur Fire Department. These devices, manufactured by Opticom, allow emergency vehicles to more safely and quickly proceed through intersections controlled by traffic lights. After getting approval last night, DFD will also begin the process of replacing three aging pumpers, with the new equipment expected to be active in late 2025 or early 2026.
The Council also agreed to extend the pause on issuing new video gaming licenses until December 31. Council said they wanted to consider revising the city’s alcoholic beverage code to provide greater regulation over video gaming in liquor establishments before suspending the moratorium.
In-transit related business, the Council approved the purchase of five new hybrid buses to modernize the last of the transportation department’s aging fleet. With the purchase of these new vehicles, which will be paid for with funding from the federal and state departments of transportation, the city’s entire fleet will be newer than 2019.
The full packet from last night’s meeting can be found HERE.
