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Both sides said the first meeting of collective bargaining went well for the city of Pinehurst and the Pinehurst Police Officers Association.

The two parties met Monday afternoon at city hall to discuss salary, personnel, time off and other issues in the police contract.

City Administrator Joe Parkhurst said at the outset of the meeting he wanted to keep things simple so both parties could present their ideas.

“This is the initial meeting to get things off the ground,” Parkhurst said.

Officer Mike Dempsey, PPOA representative, asked the city for a multi-year contract and also for the option of bringing in a Texas Municipal Police Association representative if needed.

“That way we don’t have to come back every summer (for contract negotiations),” Dempsey said. “We think a two-year contract would be adequate.”

The PPOA is asking for a five percent raise the first Fiscal Year that begins in October and to hire two additional Full Time Officer positions. The second year would be a four percent raise.

Dempsey said they lost two part-time positions over the year. One officer is being trained but he has no experience. The ideal training program is 16 weeks in duration.

The officers also asked for a cell phone reimbursement because they use them “a lot.” There are four departmental cell phones.

Another issue for discussion was time off for officers and compensation. The PPOA requested an additional personal day and holiday be added.

Parkhurst said Pinehurst officers receive 11 paid holidays per year while Orange County employees receive 13 days.

Councilman Dan Mohon told PPOA representatives the city’s personnel will need to look further into the budget.

“There’s nothing unreasonable here,” Parkhurst said. “I would be uncomfortable if you requested more than a two-year contract.”

He added the city will need to look at projected budgets and sales tax projections before making an offer.

Chief Fred Hanauer said his goal was to keep good people in the department and that morale is improving with the PD.

The initial budget meeting is set for Tuesday, July 10. The city and the PPOA agreed to meet again on Tuesday, July 24 for collective bargaining.