Butler City Council voted unanimously Thursday in favor of a two-year contract with the International Association of Firefighters, Local 114, which represents the city’s 16 full-time firefighters.

The contract includes small pay raises in both years, but a copy of the new contract was not made public following the council meeting.

Mayor Ben Smith said the contract couldn’t be released because it hadn’t been signed.

The firefighters approved the agreement earlier. Union officials could’t be reached for comment Thursday night.

Councilman Corey Roche, the director of public safety, said the contract includes pay raises of 0.25 percent this year and 0.5 percent next year.

The agreement also increases the firefighters’ contribution toward their pension plan from 3 percent of their monthly wages to 5 percent and caps their contributions to their insurance premiums at 7 percent, said Roche.

The contract goes into effect retroactively from Jan. 1 this year through Dec. 31, 2019.

The vacant fire chief’s position is not addressed in the contract, but the city budget includes wages for half of a year for a chief.

Ben Smith said council plans to pursue hiring a chief, but no timetable for the hiring has been set.

Councilman Jeff Smith commended Roche, Ben Smith and City Clerk Mindy Gall for negotiating the contact on behalf of the city.

“In less than four months, you’ve been able to turn that around,” Jeff Smith said.

Councilman Michael Walter said the firefighters, police officers and other city staff are dedicated employees.

Roche said one part-time firefighter has completed his probationary period and will soon begin working to help alleviate overtime. A second part-time firefighter has almost completed his probation.

The city has received seven applications for additional part-time job openings in the department, he said.

In addition, the city is working on an application for grant money to hire more firefighters, Roche said.

However, the pay raises are less than those included in the previous three-year contract, which expired on Dec. 31, 2017.

That contract included annual salary increases of 2.5 percent in 2015, 2.75 percent in 2016 and 3 percent in 2017.

Base annual salaries in the previous contract were $63,384 for each of the three captains, $61,590 for each of the four lieutenants and $59,796 for each of the eight firefighters. Those salaries are the maximum for each rank.

In addition they received longevity pay based on their number of years of service and $1,000 a year in lieu of shift differential pay.

Longevity pay ranged from zero for one to five years to 7.25 percent for 30 or more years and bargaining unit members who attained 30 years by the end of 2006 receive an additional .25 percent for each year of service beyond 30 years in the old contract.

Starting pay at the end of the previous contract was $38,874.