TROY – City Council members said they were disgusted by a clause in the new contract between the city and its largest police union that gives lifetime health insurance to a disgraced former police officer.

“It’s been two years since we were elected. We’re still cleaning up the mess of the last administration,” said Councilman Mark McGrath, a Republican.

The agreement reached by Democratic Mayor Patrick Madden’s administration and the Troy Police Benevolent Association grants the health insurance coverage to former Officer Brian Gross, who retired as part of a 2015 plea deal when he pleaded guilty to tipping off drug dealers about a pending State Police drug raid.

By retiring, Gross was eligible for health insurance coverage provided by the city under an agreement reached in June 2014 by former Mayor Lou Rosamilia, a Democrat, and the PBA. This agreement was not presented to the City Council for approval until December 2015 when it rejected the agreement. This led to a pending arbitration. Office Nick Laviano said Gross met the conditions set out in the agreement by having at least 10 years of service. The new contract settles the arbitration and requires an officer to have at least 12 years of service with the Troy police to obtain health insurance coverage in retirement.

Gross pleaded guilty in June 2015 to divulging evidence secured by eavesdropping to its intended target and official misconduct, both misdemeanors. He agreed to leave his job and never work as a police officer again. He was sentenced in September to three years of probation, 100 hours of community service, $5,500 in restitution and a $1,000 fine.

McGrath said he was opposed to the agreement on Gross, but would reluctantly vote for the new contract. “I agree with you. I don’t like it,” Councilman Robert Doherty said.

The City Council voted 8-0 with Council President Carmella Mantello abstaining at its Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night to give tentative approval to the new contract which runs from Jan. 1, 2013 through Dec. 31, 2017. The PBA membership overwhelmingly approved the new contract. The City Council is expected to give its final approval at its November meeting.

The contract will give all officers in the first five steps 2.01 percent raises.

Officers in step six will receive a 13.85 percent pay or $8,188 raise to $67,288 and sergeants will receive an 11.3 percent raise or $7,887 to $77,288. The raises are expected to make the police department more competitive in pay with other Capital Region police agencies. Officers who retired during the past five years will receive $1,000 for each year they’ve been retired.

“It stops the hemorrhaging of officers to other departments,” Laviano said.

Madden told the council that the raises will make Troy more competitive in retaining and attracting police officers.

The contract also allows the city to pay PBA members every two weeks; increases co-payments for prescriptions, emergency room use, office visits and outpatient surgery; limits new officers to 18 days of sick pay during the first 18 months of service; sets up detective weekend on-call pay at $400; allows the city to install a time clock system; and calls for negotiating a policy to deal with sick leave abuse.