Peru will be down one police officer and one firefighter the rest of the year to make up for a budget shortfall after city officials miscalculated how much pay raises, approved last year, would cost the city.
Officers and firefighters received a 1.5-percent increase in their longevity pay as part of across-the-board raises approved for city workers that took effect this year.
Peru Clerk-Treasurer Tish Soldi said the longevity pay, combined with the base salary of an officer or firefighter, determines how much the city pays towards that employee's retirement fund.
The initial combined salaries certified to the state understated how much the longevity pay increased, which led officials to underestimate how much the city would pay towards retirement funds.
Soldi said they realized the mistake, which was approved last year by Peru City Council as part of the budget, after an officer came to ask about retirement policies.