NORWAY – Pay raises are in cards for employees of the Norway Police Department as part of a three-year contract signed Thursday.

The Board of Selectmen approved a $2-an-hour pay increase for the two lowest-paid officers in the department, Sgt. Rob Federico said Friday. The three highest-paid officers will receive a $1-an-hour increase. The raises are retroactive to July 1.

Police Department salaries had ranged from $24,539 to $32,400 before this contract, according to deputy treasurer Carol Millet. This excludes a salary of about $40,000 for the chief of police – a position that now sits vacant.

Millet said the Police Department has a total budget of $373,000. Of this, about two-thirds, or $243,000, covers salaries.

According to the new contract, all officers in the department will receive additional raises of 2.5 percent per year in 2005 and 2006 .

The new contract, Federico said, brings Norway’s officers more in line with standard pay rates in the state. It provides a 10 percent increase for officers promoted to the rank of sergeant or detective, and sets a $12 hourly rate for any new officers hired at the department. Before this contract, new officers received $10.24 an hour. New officers must work for six months before they receive the full rate.

The department has five full-time officers and a secretary. In addition to the chief’s job, it also has an opening for a patrol officer.