Town of Belmont Reaches Collective Bargaining Agreements With First Responders

BELMONT — Town Administrator Patrice Garvin is pleased to share that the Town of Belmont and its police and firefighters have settled new collective bargaining agreements. 

The new CBAs are for five-year terms and provide Belmont’s first responders with key benefits while providing the town cost stability and predictability through June 2025.

The terms of both of the agreements include two percent cost-of-living adjustments in each year of the contract, as well as one-time $2,000 stipends — through American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding — for police and firefighters who have been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. 

The agreements also call for a transition from weekly to bi-weekly payroll for both police and firefighters, a move endorsed by Belmont’s Structural Change Impact Group as a way to reduce waste and create more efficiency in the payroll process.

“We are glad to have been able to work with our police and fire unions to reach new collective bargaining agreements that both fairly compensate our first responders and provide the town with cost stability in the years to come,” Garvin said. “Having long-term contracts in place provides the town with budget predictability which will be essential as we begin to plan for future fiscal years.”