Swansea Mayor Jim Rauckman announced Monday night the village is close to reaching an agreement with its two police unions.

He said its "highly likely" final contracts with the patrol officer's and sergeant's unions will be voted on during the board's next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Rauckman said he couldn't disclose any additional information about the contracts.

Both unions have been working without a contract since the current contract expired April 30, 2012.

Trustees discussed the contract negotiations during a 15-minute executive session of the personnel committee Monday night.

In addition, Swansea Police Chief Michael Arnold informed trustees the village's new police officer Andrew Hewitt, 25, of Fairview Heights, will start on Jan. 22. The board voted to hire Hewitt in November to help fill the shoes of two officers who retired late last year. Officer Ron Thompson retired Oct. 15, and officer Terry Schmidt retired Dec. 14.

Arnold said Hewitt, who grew up in Shiloh, will attend a 10-week police academy at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville followed by 12 weeks of field training. Hewitt will be on probation with the department for 18 months, according to Arnold.

During its regular board meeting Monday night, Swansea trustees voted to release closed session minutes from a personnel committee meeting in June 2003 and five personnel committee meetings in January and February 2008.

Under the Open Meetings Act, municipalities are permitted to release closed session minutes that no longer require confidential treatment. Rauckman said the board reviews executive session minutes every six months to determine if any can be released to the public.

Interim Village Administrator Craig Coughlin said the released minutes would be available to the public on Tuesday.

Also on Monday:

* Trustees approved payment of just over $97,500 to Ehret Inc., in Belleville, for improvements to the Western Lift Station.

* The board accepted the $24,250 bid from Taylor Roofing Co., in Belleville, to replace a roof on the maintenance garage and the bid of $13,220 from Throm Construction Co. Inc., in Collinsville, to replace a roof on the salt storage building.

John Budde, with the Street Department, said both roofs were damaged during a bad hail storm in April, and money from the insurance company will cover the cost.

In all, Budde said 12 shingle roofs on village structures were damaged by the storm. The public works staff have repaired four roofs so far, he said, and will be repairing the other six when weather conditions improve.

Contact reporter Jamie Forsythe at 239-2562 or jforsythe1@bnd.com.

Contact reporter Jamie Forsythe at 239-2562 or jforsythe1@bnd.com.