CARLSBAD — After months of often-contentious negotiations behind closed doors, City Council approved a final deal March 4 that gives raises to both firefighters and general city employees.

The contracts approval, which included minor changes to healthcare benefits, for the 75-member Carlsbad Firefighters Association and the 364-member Carlsbad City Employee Association, was on the city council’s agenda for approval without discussion.

The city employee association received a three-year contract with a 3.2 percent raise each year, while firefighters received a two-year deal with a 3 percent raise this year and 3.4 percent raise next year.

City Council approved the contracts a month after the 140 members of the other city employee union, the Carlsbad Police Officers’ Association, received their raise. In February, City Council approved a two-year contract for the association that provides a 5 percent raise each year.

The new contracts include an increase in the payments for health insurance premiums, splitting the cost of premium increases between the employees and the city.

The contracts give each employee group a different cost-of-living and healthcare benefit adjustment.

Attorney Dennis Hayes, who represented the Carlsbad City Employees Association, spoke to City Council at an earlier meeting and urged the council to give equal health insurance benefits to all employees across the board.

Giving the example that the health insurance coverage for the city’s management employees is higher than the other groups, Hayes told the council that the city should not devalue a person by giving them reduced healthcare benefits.

Julie Clark, Carlsbad’s human resources manager, explained that an individual nonmanagement employee actually receives a higher individual health care premium benefit. But, she agreed that if a member covers his or her family, the coverage is lower.

Managers receive $476 per month to insure themselves, $908 with a dependent and $1,193 for a family. By comparison, union workers receive $485 for individual coverage, $862 with a dependent and $1107 for a family.

The city of Carlsbad is known as one of the wealthiest municipal governments in the county, having experienced tremendous growth over the years and increased revenue from both property tax and tax money brought in by tourism. Although the recent downturn in the economy is having an effect on tourism, and the rapid growth has slowed a bit, Carlsbad still has millions in its reserves.