The City of Peoria has finalized a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with unionized fire department employees.
The city council on Tuesday approved the new contract during its first regular meeting of the calendar year. Members of Peoria Firefighters Local 50 previously ratified the agreement on Jan. 6.
“Anytime you sit down in negotiations and you come to some level of agreement between the city and the unionized workforce, we like to celebrate those, honestly,” Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger said in an interview with WCBU ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.
The new contract gives the firefighters a 5% general wage increase this year, followed by raises of 4% in 2027 and 3% in 2028.
Human Resources Director Ed Hopkins said the city and union representatives had roughly 15 bargaining sessions.
Sollberger said negotiations with the union often are a long process, ultimately reaching an acceptable conclusion, adding, “We sat down with Local 50 for three to four months, negotiated a good contract that’s favorable to both sides.”
The agreement also makes adjustments to the residency clause, shortening the length from 10 years to five years and increasing the distance from 20 miles to 25 miles. Any firefighter moving outside Peoria city limits within their first five years of service will pay the city back 2% of their base pay.
“We’re probably the most stringent when it comes to residency of all of our external comparables,” said City Manager Patrick Urich, referencing other cities such as Bloomington, Normal, Champaign and Rockford. “We have one of the strongest residency requirements, even with the modifications that we’re making here.”
The council vote was 7-2, with two absences [Andre Allen, Kiran Velpula]. Zach Oyler and Alex Carmona opposed the agreement, objecting on principle to any allowance for non-residency.
“I support the bulk of what’s in the agreement. However, I see having our staff living in our neighborhoods to be a significant, vital piece of our community,” said Oyler, who has remained consistent in his stance.
“It’s one thing, obviously, to bargain for higher wages and better conditions and all that, which I absolutely agree with,” added Carmona. “But if at the same time you’re bargaining to step away from the community that pays you, that just doesn’t sit well with me.”
But Mayor Rita Ali said allowing firefighters to reside outside Peoria city limits helps make sure the department is getting the best possible workforce.
“I’d like to remind everyone that we also have a housing crisis right here in the city of Peoria, especially for that kind of middle income workforce resident,” said Ali, noting about 2/3 of the firefighters do live within the city and a majority of the other third live very close.
“People, I think, are choosing not always to live in the city, but they’re choosing to live within our region, which I think is important as well,” she said.
Council member Denis Cyr also had no objection to the residency allowances, but suggested the matter raises a question worth exploring.
“First of all, I don’t want to force anybody to live in Peoria, number one,” said Cyr. “But number two is, I think, a deeper question. A better question would be: why wouldn’t 100% of people that work for the [fire department] want to live in Peoria? That’s really where my interest is at.”
Under the new contract, paramedic pay increases to 3.5% this year for all department members serving as paramedics, and 4.5% for those serving as field instructors. Those figures increase respectively to 4% and 5% in 2027 and 2028.
Other major provisions in the CBA include allowing no more than 10 members on vacation or personal leave on any single day. Additionally, the EMS Division is being restructured to add more union positions.
George Jacob remembered
Mayor Ali paid tribute to former city council member and community leader George Jacob, who died Sunday at his home.
Jacob, 61, served on the council from 2005-2011 after being appointed to fill the vacancy created when Jim Ardis was elected mayor. He was president of Brewers Distributing Company.
He suffered a head injury in a 2010 motorcycle crash that left him needing care for the rest of his life.
“His legacy of service and community involvement will long be remembered,” Ali said before reading the resolution presented to Jacob at the conclusion of his council service.
“Our thoughts are with George’s wife, Jeannine, their children and the entire Jacob family during this time of loss.”
The council also acknowledged the Jan. 3 passing of Peoria-area hockey ambassador Mark Olson, 98, a member of Peoria Rivermen Hall of Fame and an instrumental figure in the sport’s growth in the region.
“Through decades of volunteer leadership, officiating, and advocacy, he helped elevate hockey in Peoria from a grassroots effort to a community asset, contributing to the development of quality ice facilities and a professional franchise that now draws regional pride and national recognition,” said Cyr, a former NHL and Rivermen player, reading from the city’s proclamation in Olson’s honor.
Expo Gardens surplus property
During the 45-minute meeting, the council also voted unanimously to have abandoned personal property at Exposition Gardens declared as surplus, authorizing city officials to sell the items.
“We intend to use the land bank manager to market and sell those items, and this will give them an expedited way to try to sell some of the equipment and buildings that are out there,” said city attorney Patrick Hayes.
Peoria spent $1.2 million to purchase the Expo Gardens property through a foreclosure auction in September. Last month, a divided council voted in favor of forgiving nearly $500,000 in outstanding debt.
Since the city completed its acquisition, staff members have started preparing the site for redevelopment. While the previous owners and tenants have removed a majority of the personal property, some items remain.
The city wants the remaining property to either be sold or discarded. The council’s action gives the city manager the authority to sell property to recoup some of the purchasing cost, and investigate the possibility of selling any of the buildings that remain on site.
Hayes said the city has already gotten some interest from parties looking to dismantle some of the exhibition buildings and reassemble them elsewhere.
“So we’ll be reaching back out to those contacts to see if there’s sincere interest, and figure out the best way to liquidate as much of that property as possible," he said. "There’s also quite a bit of equipment still in the main building, kitchen equipment and that type of thing. So we’re looking to try to market and sell that.”
Other business
Items approved as part of the consent agenda include:
- A two-year contract extension not to exceed $340,000 with Axon Enterprises for the police department’s FUSUS real-time intelligence software;
- Spending $255,000 in state motor fuel tax funds on the Forrest Hill Avenue and Sterling Avenue intersection improvement project;
- Authorizing a workers' compensation payment of $114,000 from the city’s escrow account to a police detective who was injured in the line of duty;
- A resolution in support of the America 250 commemoration;
- One special use allowance and one denial for short-term rental properties; and
- Six appointments to various city boards and commissions.
The only item on the town board portion of the agenda resulted in approval of Peoria Township’s actual December 2025 expenses and the anticipated January expenses.
