Los Altos officials and councilmembers are scheduled tonight to begin strategizing negotiations with the union representing the city’s police officers, whose contract expires June 30.
The closed-session meeting is scheduled 5:30 p.m. at city hall.
J. Logan, assistant city manager and human resources director for Los Altos, said the meeting marks the first time this year Los Altos officials will discuss police benefits, pensions and conditions.
“We’ll try to get a meeting of minds and interests of all parties,” Logan said, declining to go into specifics. “This is the first time I’ll hear what’s on (councilmembers’) minds.”
She said more details of the contract – known as a memorandum of understanding (MOU) – would become public record in coming months.
Mayor Ron Packard suggested the city might pursue a two-tier salary and pension system for the city’s police force as it did with the city’s Teamsters Union employees nearly a year ago.
Under that agreement, Los Altos’ new hires receive a more conservative “2 at age 60” pension rather than the current “2 at 55.” City pensions are now calculated by taking 2 percent of the last three years’ average salary and multiply it by years on the job to determine the amount.
“I suspect the Police Officers’ Association is anticipating we will repeat that,” Packard said. “Many cities in the county are doing the same thing.”
Public safety comprises close to half of the city’s overall budget and includes the cost of its contract with the Santa Clara County Fire Department. Police officers in Los Altos had an average salary of nearly $100,000 in 2010, according to city records. The force has more than 30 members.
