Shall the Town of Hampton vote to approve the cost items included in a three-year collective bargaining agreement reached between the Hampton Board of Selectman and Professional Firefighters of Hampton IAFF Local 2664, which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing level:
2017 $ 93,968 (39 weeks) over 2016 level
2018 $ 131,669 (52 weeks) over 2017 level
2019 $ 126,173 (52 weeks) over 2018 level
2020 $ 30,587 (13 weeks) over 2019 level
And further to raise and appropriate the sum of $93,968 to fund the cost items related to The Professional Firefighters Local 2664 salaries and benefits for 2017. Such sum represents the additional salaries and benefits (over the 2016 budget level) for the first of the three years that are contained in a collective bargaining agreement between the Town of Hampton, by its Board of Selectmen, and Professional Firefighters of Hampton IAFF Local 2664, pursuant to RSA 273-A. The compounded, cumulative cost impact over the three contract years of the agreement is estimated to be $762,451? (Majority vote required)
What it means: Town representatives have negotiated with the Firefighters union to negotiate a three-year agreement. There will be a 3% increase in salaries for each of the 3 years, a cost which is offset by Union members taking on more of the medical premium costs.
Those in favor say: Firefighters and fire officers have made concessions on healthcare that will mean that they absorb more of the premium cost over the next 3 years, including assuming responsibility for any “Cadillac Tax”. The cost of living adjustments for firefighters and fire officers have been lagging the business sector since 2004, averaging less than 1% (.66%). In the same time period, the Consumer Price Index has averaged 1.98% and Social Security has averaged 2.25%.
Those against say: No one spoke in opposition to this Article at the Deliberative Session.
Fiscal Impact: The average Hampton home valued at $404,000 would bear an increased tax cost of $7.27 in 2017; and (if total property valuations remained the same) $10.19 for 2018; $9.76 in 2019 and $2.37 for the first 13 weeks of 2020.