By Lisa Williams Ackley

Staff Writer

The Town of Bridgton and the Bridgton Public Works Association have completed negotiations for a new three-year contract.

The Bridgton Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Sept. 27 to accept the terms of the contracts for both the Bridgton Police Department and the Bridgton Public Works Association that had taken place over several months.

Bridgton Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz said at that time that, while the Bridgton Police Department officers affected by the new contract had agreed to the contract terms, Bridgton Public Works Association members first wanted to know “what the cost changes to the (health insurance) premiums would be before any final acceptance.”

Also in September, the selectmen voted to authorize Berkowitz to institute the same compensation schedule for all non-union town employees.

The following compensation schedule will be followed for the Bridgton Public Works Association members and Bridgton Police Department union members, as well as non-union town employees:

For the period beginning July 1, 2010 and ending on June 30, 2011 there will be no increase in compensation and from the period beginning July 1, 2011 and ending on June 30, 2012 there will be no increase in compensation, however, a $250 stipend will be paid to all personnel in lump sum and on June 30, 2012, there will be 12 cents added to the employees’ hourly rates of pay.

There will be a three percent increase for these same employees, for the period beginning on July 1, 2012 and ending on June 30, 2013.

Health insurance coverage

Berkowitz also said that, effective on Jan. 1, 2012, the town will change to a POS 200 health insurance plan and will establish a Health Reimbursement Account for each person based upon the level of health insurance coverage they purchase — $300 for a single person and $500 for two people (employee and spouse) and a family.

A POS health plan is basically a combination of the HMO and PPO plans, except that the employee will be required to designate an in-network physician to be their primary health care provider.

Under the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust’s POS 200 plan, employees will pay a $200 deductible if single and a $400 deductible for family coverage. Maximum annual out-of-pocket expenses will be $1,200 for a single person and $2,400 under the family coverage. The POS 200 health plan pays 80 percent of inpatient services, both in-network and out-of-network, after the deductible.