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Abilene police association and city reach an agreement, it addresses physical fitness

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Abilene police association and city reach an agreement, it addresses physical fitness

After an intense round of negotiations Wednesday, the Abilene Police Officers Association has reached an agreement with the city of Abilene.

Amongst other line items, the city has agreed to strike mandatory fitness standards in a move that police Chief Ron Seratte says should increase participation.

In years past, there was “a higher level of participation in the program before it became mandatory,” Seratte said Wednesday.

He also said that they “are trying to get back to that,” and that he anticipates a return to those levels by incentivizing the program instead.

Both sides of the table also agreed to call that section of the agreement “Wellness” instead of “Fitness.”

Moving forward, the new five-year contract with the city will have to be approved by both the APOA and the Abilene City Council to be ratified.

What salary?

While City Manager Robert Hanna attempted to push through a six-year agreement, that was not the final decision.

After a series of caucuses back and forth by both sides of the table, each side agreed to a five-year contract which allowed for several items for the APOA, to include the city paying officers at a rate of an average salary plus 4%.

The average salary will be based upon Abilene’s 10 sister cities which have been previously agreed upon in years past by the Abilene City Council.

Hanna noted that the list includes such Texas cities as San Angelo and Wichita Falls.

He was quick to point out, however, that the list does not include Tye or Merkel after the APOA had noted that if those cities joined the list, their salaries could decrease.

While the APOA pushed to have a clause written into the contract that would allow for salary fluctuations if the sister cities were to change in the future, city staff pushed back.

Hanna noted that the list of sister cities has always been in the best interest of the association and that he didn’t anticipate Tye or Merkel joining that list anytime soon.

He also noted that larger cities could join the list in the future much to the benefit of the officers of the association.

In a follow-up statement Wednesday, Hanna said the sister cities were chosen in 2001, and he and his staff believe that the list includes the following: “Carrolton, Denton, Grand Prairie, Killeen, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, San Angelo, Waco and Wichita Falls.”

‘Fitness’ now deemed ‘wellness’

One of the items on APOA’s list was to strike the word “fitness” from the agreement and instead title that section “Wellness.”

Hanna quickly agreed to that request, and also agreed to abolish mandatory fitness standards as per earlier negotiations.

Instead, officers will receive a health physical every two years paid for by the city in lieu of participating in a mandatory physical fitness assessment, as Chris Adams, president of the police association, suggested in the May 30 negotiations.

The “new program will focus more on officers’ overall health and incentivize officers to participate,” APD Public Information Coordinator Rick Tomlin said in an earlier statement.

In the meeting, however, Seratte seemed optimistic about the new wellness program.

He said Wednesday that participation should be higher as it was in the years prior to the mandatory fitness test.

To see a complete list of all the asks from the APOA, see the previous coverage.

The move to strike fitness standards Physically fit for duty? Abilene police association asks city to shed mandatory standards

What negotations? Retirement, pay, promotions: Police association begins contract negotiations with city

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