Othello council ratifies three-year contract with police unions

OTHELLO — The city of Othello has reached agreement with the union representing Othello Police Department officers and OPD sergeants. The three-year agreements, separate contracts for officers and sergeants, were ratified by the Othello City Council Monday. 

The contracts were approved on a unanimous vote. The agreement was ratified earlier by OPD personnel.  

Othello Mayor Ken Johnson told the Columbia Basin Herald that the new contract is retroactive to Jan. 1. It will expire in December 2028.  

“There wasn’t a lot of change in the contract this time,” he said. 

Both officers and sergeants will get a seven percent raise in the first year of the contract, with a minimum of four percent raises in the second and third years. Officers retained the ability to take their patrol vehicles home if they don’t live in the city limits.  

“They do have the right to take them home, but there is a mileage stipulation,” Johnson said. Officers who exceed the mileage limit must reimburse the city for the expense.  

Other provisions include changes to the officer contract for “shift bidding,” which Othello Police Chief Brett McFarlane said allows OPD officers with the most seniority to have first choice for working hours. The new contract allows for more flexibility for experienced officers, he said.  

The revised contract with the union representing sergeants includes limits on the time they can serve as supervisors for specialty assignments, such as school resource officers, McFarlane said.  

While the vote was unanimous, council member Marc Spohr said he had some concerns about the contract.  

“It’s a pretty lucrative contract in relation to contracts I’ve dealt with in private industry,” Spohr said.  

He focused on the wage increase in the contract’s first year. Spohr cited other cases where wage or benefit increases were smaller than the city’s contract.  

“I think the seven percent is way beyond the scope of what is reasonable. I hate to set a precedent that our civil servants are getting more of an increase than the people they serve,” Spohr said. “I am bothered by that seven percent. I think that’s very generous. And I’m not going to vote no, but i hope our staff and police officers realize that this is a nice increase.” 

Johnson said the seven percent increase only applied to the first year of the contract.