Middletown Police Chief Earl Nelson, who represented the city and the police department during negotiations, said the new contracts represent a commitment to employee retention.
“The city recognizes that in order for us to continue retention for good employees, we needed to stay competitive with other cities and municipalities with pay,” Nelson said. “Pay was the focal point of this negotiation.”
Through communications, Nelson said employees are satisfied with the contract terms, which were agreed upon before the previous contract expired on Dec. 31, 2025.
“Sometimes that doesn’t happen,” Nelson said. “Contract negotiations can drag on a little bit because both sides can’t come to an agreement. But this time ... both sides did a really good job.”
Following a 5% pay increase in 2026, records clerks, corrections officers and dispatchers will receive a 4.5% raise in 2027 and 4% in 2028.
For police civilian employees, or records clerks, here are the other key changes:
- Probationary period for new employees will be extended from six months to 12 months
- A longevity payment of 0.75% will be provided for employees at years seven through nine
- There will be a one-time $2,000 bonus in 2026
- Employees reviewing and redacting body-worn camera video for public records requests will receive $3 per hour premium pay
- Employees will receive 16 hours of comp time per calendar year if assigned to work the job of another employee
Corrections officers will also receive a one-time $2,000 bonus in 2026 and an additional $1 per hour worked for prisoner transports when the corrections officer is Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy firearms qualified.
For dispatchers, a $2.50 wage adjustment will be made to each pay step before the 5% increase in 2026 takes effect.
Dispatchers will also receive a $750 bonus in January 2026, a $750 bonus in January 2027 and $500 in January 2028.
The drug testing provisions of each agreement were modified to specifically include recreational marijuana, according to the contract.
The recently approved 2026 city budget included anticipated 4.5% wage increases for police civilian employees, corrections officers and dispatchers. The additional 0.5% increase and bonuses for each department will require appropriations later in 2026:
- Police civilian employees: $14,900.03
- Corrections officers: $30,180.83
- Dispatchers: $87,404.49
Starting salaries for records clerks is now $41,841.28, corrections officers $48,716.72, and dispatchers $51,195.46, according to the contract.
Council previously approved pay raises in March 2025 for police officers, sergeants and lieutenants that make them some of the highest paid in the county.
The cost of the raises increased the city’s 2025 budget by $645,000 — $400,000 for the patrol officers and $245,000 for the supervisors, according to the contracts.
The contract increased patrol officer wages by approximately 8.8% in the first year. The wage increases will also increase pension, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation premium, and other wage-driven personnel expenses accordingly.
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