The Buffalo Police Benevolent Association's proposed contract with the City of Buffalo will cost the city more than it likely bargained for.
It will also create a multimillion dollar budget gap according to a review by the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority.
The tentative contract spans July 1 2021 through June 2025 and was ratified by police union members Monday, but it will only come into effect if it is approved by Buffalo's Common Council.
More details on what's in the proposed agreement can be found here.
Pay raises are the main reason for the jump in cost to the city - the agreement stipulates a pay increase of up to 4% year on year for Buffalo police employees for each fiscal year of the contract.
Those annual pay bumps come to an estimated total of $52 million dollars over six years, according to the BFSA's calculations.
Though the agreement only runs through June 2025, the BFSA has estimated the cost through June 2027 to fit with the city's financial planning.
Increases to longevity pay of $20 per year for police union members also ratchets up the total cost of the contract - the authority estimates that all in all, if approved, the collective bargaining agreement will cost the city $69.6 million between fiscal years 2022 through 2027.
The BFSA acts only in an advisory capacity and does not have teeth, but it can make recommendations.
In this case, the directors voted to support the proposed contract and had two recommendations for the city's financial planners.
First, the authority recommended that the city develop a “gap plan” with the upcoming May 1 financial plan.
In the meantime, when it comes to the city’s hiring practices, the authority further recommended that the city "considers implementing vacancy control measures" to start addressing the shortfall.
But some cash may already be on hand to help - according to the BFSA's analysis, almost $15 million was available in funds at the end of the last fiscal year, and the city could choose to use it to shore up the cost of the agreement.
The tentative contract will now be sent to Buffalo’s Common Council.
