Butler City Council Thursday ratified a tentative three-year contract with Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 32, which represents the police department officers.

Butler City Council Thursday ratified a tentative three-year contract with Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 32, which represents the police department officers.

Council members unanimously voted in favor of the agreement, which runs from the beginning of this year until the end of 2020.

Mayor Ben Smith said the union has approved the contract, which includes pay raises of 0.5 percent for this year and 2019, and 0.75 percent in 2020.

Other changes from the previous contract include prohibiting officers from selling unused sick days back to the city; allowing newly hired officers to begin getting vacation time sooner than they do now as an incentive; increasing hazardous duty pay from 75 cents an hour to $1 an hour; increasing officers' health insurance contributions from the current 7 percent to 7.5 percent next year and 8 percent in 2020; and requiring officers hired after Oct. 1, 2018, to have 20 years of service and be at least 50 years old to qualify for a pension.

Smith said the contract hasn't been printed and copies were not immediately available.

A tentative three-year contract with employees represented by the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 757, Council 84, also was approved.

Councilman Michael Walter said details of the agreement could not be released because the union hasn't voted on it yet.

The union represents employees in the streets and parks departments and city hall.