Lincoln selectmen execute firefighters contract with 1 percent raise

LINCOLN -- July 25, 2011, Lincoln selectmen sign firefighters deal and preview a health insurance redesign worth about $105,000. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 Monday to execute a one-year agreement with Lincoln Firefighters Local 2796 carrying a 1 percent cost-of-living raise, a modest longevity bump, an EMT stipend increase and new social-media conduct language. Town Administrator Tim Higgins said benefits staff have identified plan-design changes, higher office-visit co-pays and pharmacy adjustments, that would cut premiums roughly 6 percent and lower employee costs about 2.5 percent year over year before the Nov. 1 renewal. Higgins is comparing the package against state Group Insurance Commission rates, noting the state covers 80 percent of its employees' premiums. The board also appointed Lynn Bauer, Peg Marsh and Kip Kumler to three-year Agricultural Commission terms, and told the commission to drop its proposed "associate" label because the term already has a defined meaning on the Zoning Board of Appeals.