WATERLOO - Mayor Tim Hurley has vetoed the City Council's vote to hire five police officers through a federal grant.

The council approved the proposal 4-3 Monday to apply for the positions through the federal Office of Community Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program.

An override of the veto would require five votes. That item has been added to the agenda for Monday's council meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 715 Mulberry St.

Hurley has warned of strings attached to the grant and questioned how the city will pay for the officers down the road. The grant provides money for approved entry-level salaries and benefits for three years for newly hired, full-time, sworn officer positions, although it locks the city into a four-year agreement.

Officers essentially are free the first year. During the next two years, the city picks up the tab for pay raises or insurance increases, estimated at $2,295 per position for the second year and $4,676 for the third.

The city must then retain the officers a fourth year and cover those salaries in full, totaling $73,072 per officer or nearly $300,000, according to Police Chief Tom Jennings. Committing to such an expense could create headaches for future councils and administrations as they face trimming from other areas of the budget to accommodate, Hurley said.

This is Hurley's second veto. He first vetoed council action to vacate sidewalks on Bayard Street in July 2008.

The last mayoral veto before that came in March 2001 when then-Mayor John Rooff opposed his own pay raise.

Contact Tina Hinz at (319) 291-1484 or tina.hinz@wcfcourier.com.