In a unanimous decision the Bloomington City Council voted to give both firefighters and police dispatchers pay raises.
The council wasted little to no time discussing the issue as they felt the first responders deserved it.
The firefighters signed a three year union contract that calls for a 2.25% raise the first year and a 2.5% raise the next two years. "We don't do this job for the money," said Clayton Matteson International Association of Firefighters Local 49 President. "Its not what this is about at all, we just want that security. We want to make sure we have that safety to make sure our families are taken care of."
According to the council staff the cost to tax payers is $2,018,929 for the life of the contract.