Under a new four-year contract, uniformed officers of the Salisbury Township Police Department will receive 3 percent or more wage hikes each year for the duration of the agreement.

Police officers will contribute more toward their health insurance while at the same time, deductibles on the policy will increase.

Salisbury Township Manager Randy Soriano announced ratification of the tentative township police department collective bargaining agreement for 2017-20, which commissioners approved 4-0 with one commissioner absent at the Dec. 8 township meeting.

The Salisbury Police Officers Association, representing approximately 17 officers, not including new hires, Salisbury Township Chief of Police Allen W. Stiles and two police department clerical workers, approved the tentative pact.

“I think we came to a fair and sensible agreement,” Soriano said in recommending that commissioners approve the tentative pact prior to voting on it. The contact would go into effect Jan. 1, 2017.

After the meeting, Soriano provided some details of the contract to a reporter for The Press.

The percentage of pay increases are:

2017: 3 percent;

2018: 3 percent;

2019: 3.25 percent, and

2020: 3.5 percent.

The health plan has a higher deductible:

$250 for a single person, up from a zero amount, and

$500 for a family, up from a zero amount.

“It will reduce the cost of the [insurance] premium,” Soriano explained.

The biweekly payment for the premium cost per officer will also increase in each year of the four-year contract:

2017: $40, single; $42.50, family;

2018: $42.50, single; $47.50, family;

2019: $45, single; $57.50, family, and

2020: $50, single; $59.50, family.

Another change is the provision for overtime for police officers attending court cases. There will be a four-hour minimum, even if, for example, one hour is actually spent in court.