Marblehead, cops settle contract

MARBLEHEAD – Less than two weeks before Town Meeting, only one employee union has settled a contract with the town.Town Administrator Tony Sasso told the Finance Committee Monday evening that the selectmen and the police union have settled on a three-year contract which will take effect July 1.The contract calls for 2 percent raises on July 1, 2012 and July 1, 2013, a 1 percent raise on July 1, 2014 and a ?-percent raise later in Fiscal Year 2015. Sasso said the contract will cost the town $44,063 in Fiscal Year 2013.The firefighters and municipal employees have not finalized a contract yet. Negotiations are continuing.Other employees who will receive a 2 percent raise next year include the administrators, at a cost of $56,132, part of which will come from the Harbors & Waters and Water & Sewer accounts; traffic supervisors, at a cost of $2,391; seasonal and temporary employees, at a cost of $9,337; Town Clerk Robin Michaud, at a cost of $1,387. All these employees are non-union.The Finance Committee voted to recommend that Town Meeting approve those raises, which will be listed as Articles 21-25 on the Town Warrant.Sasso and Finance Director John McGinn also clarified recent reports about state aid.McGinn said the House Ways and Means budget, which has not been approved, does contain an additional $200,000 in state aid to Marblehead – but it also includes a $200,000 increase in assessments.