TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Unions representing Topeka’s police officers and firefighters have rejected the city’s proposal that those city employees accept a temporary 3% pay cut to deal with plummeting city tax revenues in the wake of measures to slow the COVID-19 outbreak.
An attorney representing the unions said in a letter Wednesday to Topeka City Manager Brent Trout that the unions would not accept the cuts, the Capital-Journal reported. The unions suggested several alternative measures for the city to consider before pushing a pay cut on first responders. Those measures included using the city’s general reserve fund and relying on upcoming police and firefighter retirements for cost-savings.
A day earlier Topeka’s mayor and city council members voted unanimously to cut their own pay by 6% in an effort to save taxpayer dollars. That temporary cut begins with the pay period that starts May 2 and ends with the pay period that ending Dec. 11.
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