Urbandale OKs Contract with Firefighter and Paramedic Unions

Firefighter and paramedic unions got some good news/bad news.

Urbandale officials and the unions agreed to two-year contracts, which includes a 2.5 percent raise on July 1 for firefighters. However, a raise in the second year is in doubt if a state property tax reform goes through, according to a Des Moines Register report. 

Under Gov. Terry Branstad’s proposal, the city estimates property tax revenue would increase by 1.49 percent, compared to an average of 2.7 percent growth annually over the past five years.

City Manager A.J. Johnson said it is unknown at this point how much the proposed tax reform would affect the city’s revenue. He said if the city collects less in property tax revenue next year, other areas of the budget would need to be re-examined to meet contractual obligations.

Firefighters currently are paid an average salary of $47,641.