Mifflinburg council OKs police contract, chief pay raise

Justin Strawser, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·3 min read

May 22—MIFFLINBURG — Borough officials and its police union reached a tentative deal on the same night it approved the second raise for the police chief in five months.

At Tuesday's public meeting, Mifflinburg Borough Council members unanimously approved the four-year collective bargaining contract for the Mifflinburg Police Officers Association, consisting of six full-time and two part-time officers. The settlement agreement calls for a 4 percent increase in officer base pay for the next four years.

"I'm glad everything was finally worked out," said Mayor David Cooney, who oversees the police department but doesn't involve himself in the contract negotiation. "Sometimes it is tenuous, sometimes it goes more smoothly. It's a relief when the contracts are signed by both sides and especially when it doesn't go to arbitration."

The current agreement expired at the end of 2023. The borough council members last month voted to accept a settlement agreement.

The union originally filed for arbitration, but the borough sought to delay that in hopes of coming to terms with the settlement, according to borough Manager Margaret Metzger.

Officer Michelle Marr, the union representative, said the agreement will be signed "in the near future."

"There's a settlement agreement in place," said Marr. "We're waiting on the finalization. The association and the borough came to an agreement. The contract will be signed as soon as it's finalized."

The terms of the contract are retroactive to Jan. 1 and will continue until Dec. 31, 2027. The officers will have a 4 percent increase for full-time employees' base pay rate in each year from 2024 to 2027. The base pay for a rank above patrol officer shall be $3,000 above that of a fifth-year patrol officer, according to the settlement agreement.

The borough shall provide medical insurance to each full-time officer and his or her family. Officers shall make the following contributions per pay: $65 for single and $85 for family in 2024, which increased to $71 for single and $100 per family in 2027, according to the settlement agreement.

The board voted 4-1 on Tuesday night to increase Police Chief Jeffrey Hackenburg's salary from $80,261 to $84,377, a 5.1 percent increase. The council voted in December to grant the chief a 4 percent salary increase for 2024, increasing from $77,174 to $80,261.

Council members Kylie Aikey, Maura Heiges, Colbey Russell and Bradley Sauers voted to increase Hackenburg's salary. Councilman Matthew Wagner voted against it. Council President Beverly Hackenberg was absent.

Wagner declined to comment on why he voted against the motion.

Cooney said the December increase was based on an annual year-end management evaluation. Tuesday's increase was because Hackenburg's salary would be less than the top officer's salary under the new terms of the union contract, if accepted by the union. Hackenburg is not part of the police union.

"The council decides salaries," said Cooney. "I don't have a say in it."

Borough Council hired Hackenburg on Jan. 21, 2020, at a starting salary of $71,000. A former Pennsylvania State Police employee for 25 years, Hackenburg worked in Milton, Montoursville and Selinsgrove, at the latter of which he served for four years as commander.