AURORA | City council approved new contracts with its police and fire departments that include small raises despite some pushback over the timing of the vote coinciding with the anniversary of the death of Elijah McClain.

On Monday, city council approved two collective bargaining agreements, or union contracts, with the Aurora Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #49 and the Local 1290 International Association of Firefighters.

Councilmember Alli Jackson voted against both agreements and Councilmember Alison Coombs voted against the police contract.

The contracts, which outline salary and benefits for police and fire employees, include a 3% raise to entry-level police officer and firefighter salaries. The city negotiates contracts with its police and fire unions every two years. Negotiations are not public and are done in executive session.

Coombs and Jackson opposed the agreements after public commenters highlighted that Monday was the seventh anniversary of McClain’s death. 

McClain died Aug. 24, 2019 after paramedics injected him with ketamine during a police stop while he was walking home unarmed and wearing a ski mask. His death was the catalyst for a state-imposed consent decree, which found Aurora’s police and fire departments had a pattern of racial bias and excessive force.

Neither council member pointed to specific concerns about the contract, which has been negotiated in executive session. 

“This was obviously not the day to be voting on collective bargaining (agreements) and raises for the folks that were responsible for the death of Elijah McClain,” Coombs said. “I wish I had noticed the conflict ahead of time.”

Jackson said her vote was influenced both by the anniversary of McClain’s death and reservations about increasing pay while she feels public safety departments could do more to address accountability.

“I’m at a job where if you don’t perform well, you don’t get a raise and I think that’s pretty standard practice,” she said. 

While postponing a vote on the contracts was discussed, City Attorney Pete Schulte advised against it, saying postponing could risk a lawsuit from the unions.

Later in the meeting, Councilmembers Gianina Horton and Amy Wiles apologized for the timing of the vote, with Horton calling it a “damn f***ed-up oversight” and Wiles holding back tears.

In a social media post following the meeting, Coombs added that she would like to “have a broader conversation about resource allocation” and supports a union for all city employees.

“Having the police be one of two departments to get a union contract unfairly shapes our overall budget priorities in ways that many people in our community clearly do not support,” Coombs’ post said.

A representative from the Fraternal Order of Police declined to comment. Local 1290 union president Justin Dodds said in a statement sent before the meeting that the contract represents a positive outcome for local firefighters and demonstrates the importance of employee unions.

“A tremendous amount of work went into reaching this agreement, and our membership remained engaged throughout the process by asking questions, providing feedback, and ultimately making their voices heard during the ratification vote,” Dodds said.

The contract starts an entry-level patrol officer’s salary at $72,100 in 2027 and $74,263 in 2028, compared to $70,000 in 2026. The highest salary goes to police captains, who will receive $182,455 in 2027 and $187,929 in 2028, compared to $177,140 in 2026.

Officers start with eight days of general leave and work up to 23 days of leave depending on how long they’ve been with the department. They receive 50 hours of personal leave annually after working for the department for a year, which is up from 28 hours.

Police and firefighters get 11 paid holidays.

An entry-level firefighter will make $72,870 in 2027 and $75,785 in 2028, compared to $70,748 in 2026. Fire captains will make $151,346 in 2027 and $157,400 in 2028. 

Firefighters will still get five vacation days and six sick days, but also get one personal day starting in 2027. 

While Aurora police are getting an increase, other metro areas pay police officers more. Denver’s 2026 entry-level officer salary is $81,046, while Colorado Springs entry-level officers make $73,548. Lakewood uses a different pay breakdown, but an officer entering into field training makes $86,138 and one who has graduated from field-training makes $91,910.

Other benefits in Aurora’s contracts include dental and health insurance, stipends for uniforms and equipment, retirement and pensions, survivors’ insurance and funeral coverage. 

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