Newton advances $6.46 million to settle long-delayed police patrol union contract

NEWTON — June 4, 2025 — Newton's Public Safety and Transportation Committee voted unanimously to advance $6.46 million in appropriations tied to an arbitrated settlement with the Newton Patrol Association, the city's police patrol union. The committee approved two separate items — $4,510,000 covering settlement costs for fiscal years 2022 through 2025, and $1,952,500 to adjust the fiscal year 2026 police department payroll, which had been budgeted at lower, pre-arbitration salary levels — both by 5-0 votes at the June 4 session. City official Jonathan Rosenfield explained that NPA officers worked without a contract for three years before the Joint Labor Management Committee issued a binding arbitration decision earlier this year. The funds are drawn from free cash and the comptroller's wage reserve, which was originally set at $5,125,000 for FY2026 to cover multiple unsettled union contracts. Both items head to the full City Council, expected to take them up June 16. The committee also approved, 5-0, license renewals for shuttle operators serving the 128 Business Council, Boston College, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as well as semiannual private livery inspections covering seven approved companies.