The president of the Springfield, Massachusetts, City Council says the council has been left out of the loop when it comes to contract negotiations for police officers.
In a meeting Tuesday, City Council President Orlando Ramos told police and city officials that last week he emailed the city's labor relations director, requesting an update on the contract negotiations.
Ramos said he heard back the next day. But that was only after Mayor Domenic Sarno had announced details of a tentative agreement.
“When the president of the legislative branch of the city requests information on negotiations, I don’t want to have to find the information through the media,” Ramos said.
Ramos added that he was happy to learn that the contract may include a body camera program, and a residency requirement for newly-hired officers.
Human Resources and Labor Relations Director Bill Mahoney said city councilors won't be able to see the contract until the police union ratifies it.
“I’m optimistic that we’ll see it in the next 10 days,” Mahoney said.
