AURORA | The city and Aurora Police Association may reach an agreement on pension plans, after all.
Aurora City Council members are holding a special meeting Tuesday night to vote on a resolution directing the city clerk to hold off on sending a ballot question regarding the pension plans to voters. Or not.
The police union and the city came to an impasse during contract negotiations earlier this year. Last week, the city council approved the language that may appear on the ballot.
Lawmakers spent more than an hour fine-tuning a police union question the city charter requires, per an impasse. City law stipulates that since the police union and city council have reached a stalemate on negotiating union contract changes, voters must now be the arbiters.
The dispute centers on the union wanting to switch from a locally-controlled defined contribution retirement plan, called the MPPA plan, to a statewide defined benefit plan, the FPPA plan, which comprises 200 other Colorado public safety agencies, including the Aurora Fire Department.
A city council report was published earlier this month recommending the police department stick to the MPPA plan, but that the city increase pay and time off for some employees. While the city agreed to the recommendations, the union didn’t — that gives the union a chance to put the decision to voters.
But it’s so far unclear if the union has made a final decision on submitting the question.
The question, if on the ballot, would ask voters if the union offer should be implemented rather than the city’s recommendation.
The city is slated to meet in closed session at 4 p.m. for an hour, then reconvene at 5 p.m. to consider a measure that would create the police retirement ballot question. Check back for updates.
