The city of Geneva will hold a special City Council meeting after its Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night to ratify a four-year contract with the firefighters union that calls for generous cost-of-living and merit raises in the next three years and a "wage reopener" for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

The agreement with the Geneva Professional Firefighters Association, Local 4287 calls for pay-level increases across the board, as follows:

• FY 2012-2013 – 2%
• FY 2013-2014 – 2.5%
• FY 2014-2015 – 2.5%
• FY 2015-2016 – wage reopener

In addition to the market range adjustment, firefighters and paramedics are eligible for merit pay increases and merit bonuses.

The salary schedule means a firefighter who starts at $52,415 in 2012 can make $60,641 in 2013—a 15.69 percent salary increase—if he or she advances just one grade level.

Two charts are provided in the document, one for firefighter/lieutenant firefighter, the other for paramedic/ lieutenant paramedic.

Starting salaries for firefighters are $52,415 as of May 1, 2012, $53,725 as of May 1, 2013, and $55,068 as of May 1, 2014—if the firefighter earns no merit increases during that time.

Top firefighter salaries for those three years are $78,030, $79,981 and $81,980.

• Lieutenant firefighters start at $81,196 in 2012 and can make as much as $98,754 by May 1, 2014.
• Paramedics start at $55,169 in 2012 and can make as much as $84,874 by May 1, 2014.
• Lieutenant paramedics start at $83,950 and can make as much as $101,647 by May 1, 2014.

According to the City Council agenda packet PDF, a "management team conducted a comprehensive study to compare wages and benefits between the Firefighters and Lieutenants and other comparable departments/districts."

Negotiations took place over a 10-month period, as reported to the City Council in closed sessions on Nov. 12, Nov. 26, and Dec. 3.