Another month has passed, and negotiations between the City and the fire union remain stalled. We are still waiting for union leadership to respond to the City’s latest offer, delivered on September 26, 2025. While I remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement without arbitration, the lack of engagement from union leadership is concerning. Unless the union is willing to come back to the table, arbitration is currently set for the end of January 2026.
To the citizens of Bartlesville who are following this issue closely — thank you for your commitment to our community and to the men and women who serve it. And to our firefighters who continue performing their duties with professionalism during this difficult process — your service is deeply appreciated. Bartlesville is a strong, vibrant community that values public safety and responsible government. City employees and I share those values, and I want to assure you that, even amid disagreements at the bargaining table, your safety remains our highest priority.
I am proud that our organization employs some of the most capable and dedicated individuals in their fields. So it’s fair to ask: If we already have some of the best employees in the fire service, what is the City’s concern with the contract?
The answer is simple — we can do better. We can strengthen training, improve performance standards, reduce unnecessary costs, and do so in a way that makes our department more effective for the citizens we serve. Even better, we can do all of this while also benefitting our firefighters. That is the heart of the current dispute.
Union leadership has expressed concern that a more competitive system would create bias or favoritism. I disagree. Our current seniority-based promotional model does not protect against bias; instead, it promotes complacency. It rewards time served rather than effort, initiative, or excellence.
Compared with our peer cities, our firefighters pursue significantly less training and advanced education. Why? Because our outdated promotional system provides no recognition — and no incentive — for doing so. In a structure where promotions are essentially guaranteed with enough time, the incentive to excel diminishes. We can do better.
Union leadership also resists common-sense reforms to sick leave and overtime policies, arguing that these changes would harm employees. Again, I disagree. Our current system, as written, invites abuse by some employees, and that undermines both the public and the many firefighters who use leave responsibly and professionally.
The data is clear:
- Our department uses four times more sick leave than leading peer departments.
- Our firefighters are five times more likely to use sick leave when it won’t affect their overtime.
- And they use 91% of their available family sick leave, compared to 36% for other City employees.
This is not an accusation against all firefighters — far from it. But it is undeniable evidence that our current contract structure encourages a level of sick leave usage far beyond what is reasonable or comparable. We can do better.
The City pays our firefighters a premium wage — higher than many of our peers — and we do so proudly. We want the best, and we are willing to pay for the best. But the current contract prevents us from expecting and achieving the performance standards our citizens deserve. That must change.
To better serve the public and strengthen our fire department, the City is proposing three priorities:
- Continue providing premium pay to our firefighters.
- Reform the promotional system to reward merit, not seniority.
- Reform sick leave policies to reduce abuse and ensure fairness.
These reforms reinforce one another. Competitive pay helps attract strong candidates. Merit-based promotions reward excellence and encourage professional growth. Better performance standards reduce sick leave abuse. Collectively, these changes create a culture of excellence — one that supports high performance, strengthens morale, and produces better outcomes for our community.
This is the cycle we want to build. But achieving that requires ending the cycle created by an outdated contract that no longer serves the public — or our firefighters — well.
We can do better, and with these reforms, we will.