Arbitration concluded this week on the Evans City-Seven Fields Regional Police Department’s collective bargaining agreement, ending a yearlong negotiation on the contract which expired Dec. 31, 2022.

“We are glad that the process is completed, and now we can move forward,” said police administrator Tom Smith.

The final arbitration stipulated a 5% wage increase in 2023, a 5% increase in 2024 and a 4% increase in 2025.

Retroactively beginning Jan. 1, full-time patrol officers’ base rates will increase from $24.83 to $31.10 per hour. Part-time officers’ pay will increase from $19.96 to $25.01 per hour.