Because Baltimore County voters supported allowing a third-party arbitrator to settle labor disputes with firefighters and police officers, union leaders expect they'll have a better chance at reaching an agreement when they begin negotiations next month.

"I think it will legitimize both sides' proposals," said Michael K. Day Sr., president of the Baltimore County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, which lobbied for the use of a neutral mediator along with Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 4. "I think both sides will start off closer to the middle."

Allowing a third-party arbitrator to settle labor disputes in the case of an impasse - a process called binding arbitration - was a referendum item on the November ballots in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties. Voters overwhelming supported the measure in both jurisdictions. The Baltimore County Council must pass legislation to make the process part of the county code.

The four-year contracts for Baltimore County's 1,000 firefighters and paramedics and 1,800 police officers will expire in July. At the same time, six other contracts expire that cover the county's 5,777 classified workers and 1,744 exempt employees, which include elected officials and department heads. That is one reason county officials and the various labor groups representing the workers begin hashing the details of contracts months in advance. The sides say the hope to have agreements by March.

"With binding arbitration, there's no doubt there will be a resolution," said Cole B. Weston, president of the county's Fraternal Order of Police. "You'd hope to be able to get there without it. But that's not always realistic."

The talks will be the first round of negotiations with Merreen E. Kelly, who was appointed this month as a special assistant to oversee labor negotiations for County Executive James T. Smith Jr.

Kelly, who was the county's administrative officer from 1991 to 1997 and the county's public schools' chief negotiator for part of his 34 years in the system, has said he is hopeful that arbitration won't be necessary.

Contract talks in Baltimore County have stalled in recent years. It took about 1 1/2 years for Baltimore County officials and the police union to resolve disputes over police pensions.

But, Weston said, the salaries of public safety employees must keep pace with their counterparts in neighboring jurisdictions. "It's key for recruitment," he said. "Having a competitive package is essential to attracting quality officers. The Police Department is only going to be as good as who they're hiring."

Baltimore County police officers received no raises last year. The year before they received 10.25 percent raises because their pay had fallen behind other jurisdictions.

In Baltimore County, police officers earn less than their counterparts in nearby departments, earning $34,577 in their first year of service. County firefighters' starting pay is $27,314.

The starting salary for officers in Baltimore is $35,784. In Anne Arundel County it is $35,514; in Howard County, $34,861; and for Maryland State Police, it is $36,432. Firefighters in Baltimore start between $22,524 and $27,922; in Howard County, $28,974; and in Anne Arundel, $30,817.