Blaine public works employees will see changes to pay, benefits and work rules under a new three-year labor agreement ratified on April 20 by the Blaine City Council, which also approved a site change for the Goddard School.
The council voted 5-0 to ratify the Local 49 public works labor agreement for 2026 through 2028 and separately approved a conditional use permit reducing parking lot setbacks at 12612 Central Ave. NE.
Administrative Services Director Scott Johnson said the labor agreement was set at “50% of the market,” consistent with council direction. He said the annual adjustment in each year of the contract is 3%, also in line with the city’s goals.
Johnson said the agreement changes seniority so it is based on time within Public Works rather than within individual divisions. The deal also adds compensatory time for three years under a memorandum of agreement.
Compensatory time will start at 24 hours in the first year, increase to 32 hours in the second year and rise to 40 hours in the third year, Johnson said.
“Once you use this time, you cannot accumulate more,” Johnson said.
Johnson said employees also will have opt-in and opt-out opportunities to choose whether they receive overtime or compensatory time.
The agreement raises callback pay from a two-hour minimum to 2.5 hours and includes an annual $50 increase in the city’s monthly contribution to the cafeteria benefits plan, Johnson said.
Johnson said the agreement also increases licensing pay for utilities employees with water and sewer C and B licenses, from 20 cents to 40 cents for C licenses and from 40 cents to 80 cents for B licenses. For streets and parks employees, licensing pay will increase from 15 cents per credential to a maximum of 45 cents per employee.
Uniform allowances also will increase, with public service workers rising to $700 per year and lead mechanics increasing to $300 per year, Johnson said.
The union also agreed to increase the number of seasonal workers allowed to work extended periods from eight to 10, Johnson said. The contract sets a 480-hour cap on sick leave accrual, down from the originally proposed 960 hours.
In other business, the council approved a conditional use permit to reduce parking lot setbacks at the Goddard School site.
Community Development Director Sheila Sellman said the change reduces the setback from 30 feet to 25 feet on the south and east sides of the property. The latest request is intended to accommodate one additional parking space, she said.
The property is zoned Development Flex, Sellman said, and the properties to the north, south and east are also zoned Development Flex. Highway 65 is to the east.
Sellman said a conditional use permit was first approved for the site in 2019 for construction of a 10,000-square-foot daycare and early education center. Additional approvals in 2025 amended the permit for the north and east sides of the property, including setbacks for the building, parking and play area.