Newton police officers will see their first contractual raises in five years after the City Council's Public Safety & Transportation Committee approved $1.885 million in wage increases and retroactive pay on Wednesday, June 17.

The 6-0 vote, with Councilor Wright not voting, funds the city's settlement with the Newton Police Association, which represents 110 sworn officers. Chief Financial Officer Maureen Lemieux told the committee it had been five years since the city was able to reach an agreement with the NPA.

How the money breaks down

  • $1.175 million from FY27 reserve funds for contractual wage increases under the NPA's FY24-FY27 agreement.
  • $710,000 from FY26 reserves for retroactive payments to four bargaining units:
  • $500,000 for NPA officers
  • $105,000 for DPW engineers
  • $105,000 for parking control officers and crossing guards
  • Compounded cost-of-living raises: 3% in FY25, 3% in FY26, approximately 9% cumulative through FY27.

Key contract provisions

  • Establishes a Fit for Duty Committee with a defined process for fitness-for-duty examinations.
  • Incorporates prior service credit for lateral transfers to help fill vacancies.
  • Officers who retired or resigned during the FY24-FY27 period remain eligible for retroactive pay.

"We have vacancies to fill; this will be helpful," Chief Timothy Cohoon told the committee, adding that the lateral-transfer provision mirrors practices in other communities.

Overnight parking ban held pending working group report

The committee voted 7-0 to hold the overnight parking ban docket while a working group completes its review. Key findings from Chair Chris Markiewicz's presentation:

  • Approximately 3,000 tickets issued for overnight winter parking violations in 2024-2025, double the roughly 1,500 issued in 2023-2024.
  • Violations spread across 549 streets; Commonwealth Avenue led with about 275 tickets.
  • Newton voters chose to retain the winter parking ban in November 2025.

The working group is considering a permit-based trial for overnight parking exemptions. Areas that would be excluded from any trial:

  • Near college campuses
  • Large housing complexes (over 24 units)
  • Village centers and commercial areas
  • Near municipal lots

The group set a target of Wednesday, July 8 to deliver its recommendation report. As of publication, whether that deadline was met has not been confirmed.

The overnight parking ban docket faces a 180-day deadline of Saturday, July 25.