City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
City Council  
Conference Room  
1A/1B  
Tuesday, January 17, 2023  
5:00 PM  
Pre-Council  
Columbia City Hall  
701 E. Broadway  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
Mayor Buffaloe called the meeting to order at approximately 5:00 p.m.  
This item is open to the public: Labor Group Presentations  
CPOA  
Mayor Buffaloe welcomed Clint Sinclair from the Columbia Police Department. Sinclair  
shared a summary of the goals and objectives for the upcoming collective bargaining  
process.  
CPOA proposals seek to improve compensation by:  
- Finishing implementation of the pay step plan  
- Give across-the-board raises sufficient to improve real wages  
- Improve pension plans  
- Increase the overtime rate for special events  
- Increase shift differential  
- Create a new rank/position for FTOs and detectives (senior police officer).  
The proposals seek to safeguard against unwarranted discipline by allowing officers to  
appeal discipline and grievances to a fair, neutral, and unbiased arbitrator.  
The proposals also seek to promote officer wellness and safety by allowing officers time  
to exercise while on-duty; and by allowing donation of sick time for City employees who  
need it.  
The proposals seek to promote efficient operations by changing the timing of the annual  
patrol shift bid process; adding all commissioned law enforcement officers (park rangers,  
airport safety officers, etc.) to the police officer job classification; requiring a standardized  
application process and eligibility roster for all specialty assignments; and improving  
clarity in miscellaneous contract provisions.  
The proposals seek to improve working conditions by allowing employees to run for  
(non-City) public office without requiring a leave of absence and allowing employees to  
serve in (non-City) public office), requiring the City to pay for all aspects of City-ordered  
medical treatment/testing and considering employees to be on-duty while obtaining  
medical treatment necessitated by work related injury/illness.  
CPLA  
Don Weaver presented the Council with six goals and objectives from the Columbia  
Police Lieutenants’ Association for the 2023 collective bargaining process.  
Goal and Objective #1: Police Lieutenant compensation  
TBD based on consultant class and comp study. If the class and comp study is not  
completed prior to the execution of an agreement with the city, pay negotiations will open  
within 90 days of the completion of the study pursuant to Exhibit A of Resolution 77-22.  
Goal and Objective #2: Fully integrated collective bargaining agreement  
At the conclusion of the 2023 collective bargaining process, the CPLA would like a fully  
integrated collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Initially, the CBA would last one year  
with future agreements potentially having a longer duration. The CPLA envisions this CBA  
being similar in structure to the 2017 CPLA CBA signed by the city, with changes in  
content.  
Goal and Objective #3: Deferred compensation match  
The CPLA is requesting the city contribute matching deferred compensation contributions  
of CPLA members up to 2%. This match would remain a benefit for anyone achieving the  
rank of Police Lieutenant or higher. Any person covered by the CPLA CBA demoted  
below the rank of Lieutenant would be subject to the terms, conditions, and benefits of  
any other CBA for which they would be covered (i.e. the CPOA CBA).  
Goal and Objective #4: Post-employment health care  
The CPLA requests the city agree to provide health care coverage for those employees  
and their dependents who retire on or after July 1, 2023. The coverage will extend to  
employees who retire at the rank of Lieutenant or higher, meeting normal service  
requirements (i.e. 20 or 25 years of service depending on pension plan) or a  
service-connected medical retirement. The health insurance coverage is to be  
substantially the same as that currently provided for employees and their dependents.  
Additionally, employees that retire will be required to pay the requisite health care  
premium for such coverage, should they choose to continue such coverage.  
Goal and Objective #5: Vacation accrual limits  
The CPLA is requesting the removal of limits in our vacation accrual hours. The amount  
accrued each pay cycle would not change and continue to be based upon service time.  
Goal and Objective #6: Take home vehicles  
The CPLA requests the city agree to assign new police vehicles to each Police  
Lieutenant position. The vehicles should be designed and equipped with specifications  
provided by the CPLA. While the CPLA understands the importance and difficulty in fleet  
management, we believe it is as or more important to adequately equip members of the  
police department for the duties of an assigned position. Members of the CPLA will  
continue to have the option of a take home vehicle or receive a per month vehicle  
allowance.  
IAFF Local 1055  
The Columbia Professional Firefighters president, Zach Privette presented Council with  
their 2023 collective bargaining goals and objectives.These goals and objectives include  
the following:  
- Compensation  
- Standby Compensation / Chapter 19-97  
- Missouri Critical Illness Trust  
- Promotions / Section 2.03  
The Union will propose a substantial across the board increase to our current pay plan to  
match current consumer price indices as well as inflation rates and in-line with Federal  
Cost of Living adjustments.  
The Union will also propose two options regarding stand-by compensation, defined in  
chapter 19-97 of the Code of Ordinances. Proposal 1 will include a substantial increase to  
the stand-by compensation rate defined in 19-97 to adequately remunerate employees  
who are bound by ordinance to be “at the ready” for work should they be called in for  
duty. The current rate of $15.00/day is an outrageously low compensation rate for the  
expectations the City asks of employees. Proposal 2 will include a change in the  
schedule for Assistant Fire Marshals, moving them to 56 hour shifts, similar to other  
firefighters, that will essentially negate the need for this policy to apply in the Fire  
Department.  
The Union will propose the exact same proposal as last year for the City to enter the  
Missouri Critical Illness trust at the maximum eligible benefit for the employees.  
The Union will also request that the City agree to open section 2.03 of the agreement to  
codify a number of proposals to improve the promotional process. Through recent  
promotional processes, the Union Identified multiple egregious process problems. After  
discussion with Human Resources regarding those problems and multiple meetings with  
Human Resources and Fire Administration, we have identified multiple solutions for those  
problems that need to be codified into the collective bargaining agreement.  
LiUNA Local 955  
Andrew Hutchinson with Laborer’s Local 955 presented Council with their goals in  
bargaining with City Staff. Goals include:  
- Move away from the midpoint system and implement a longevity step-based system for  
raises in regards to employee pay.  
- Fix the grievance process by having a third party binding arbitration as a final step.  
- Changes to paid family leave and bereavement leave  
- End pre-employment drug testing  
Council Members and presenters discussed briefly their goals and objective  
This item is open to the public: Motion for the City Council to go into  
closed session in Conference Room 1A/1B to discuss:  
- Preparation, including any discussions or work product, on behalf of a  
public governmental body or its representatives for negotiations with  
employee groups pursuant to Section 610.021(9) RSMo.  
- Sealed bids and related documents, until the bids are opened; and  
sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a  
negotiated contract until a contract is executed, or all proposals are  
rejected pursuant to Section 610.021(12) RSMo.  
At approximately 5:48 p.m. Mayor Buffaloe made a motion for the City Council to  
go into a closed meeting, seconded by Council Member Waner.  
This item is closed to the public: Closed Meeting in Conference Room  
1A/1B  
At approximately 5:49 p.m. the City Council went into the closed session. The closed  
meeting adjourned at approximately 6:51 p.m.  
II. ALL OTHER ITEMS COUNCIL MAY WISH TO DISCUSS  
None.  
III. ADJOURNMENT  
Mayor Buffaloe adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:51 p.m.