Police union contract wins panel's OK

The Seattle City Council is on track to ratify the police union's proposed labor contract, adding stress to the city's 2009 and 2010 budgets.

The city will owe $10 million in retroactive pay raises for 2007 and 2008 to Seattle Police Officers' Guild members because the previous contract expired in 2006. The guild has 1,180 members, including officers, detectives and sergeants.

"Of course I'm concerned about sustainability" of paying for the contract, said council budget Chairwoman Jean Godden. "We will have to work on that."

Godden, and Councilmembers Tim Burgess and Nick Licata recommended approval in the personnel committee Wednesday. The full council will vote Monday.

In April, the city's finance department said it expected the local economic slowdown to continue the next two years.

"Our current estimate is that we are likely to have spending pressures that won't allow us to continue all the programs at their current spending levels when you account for inflation and so forth," said assistant finance director Glen Lee. "Through the summer we do another set of revenue forecasts, as well as expenditure estimates, and it's really premature to put a number on if a gap exists, and what the gap is now."

Mayor Greg Nickels plans to make his biennial budget proposal by the end of September.

The new police contract would substantially increase city spending on police. In 2006, the city spent $105 million on union police salaries. By 2010, the total would rise to $134 million.

The proposed contract, which gives most officers a 25.6 percent raise over four years, would make Seattle officers the state's highest-paid. It includes recommendations to improve police accountability and changes to work shifts.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com