It’s getting down to the wire in calculating personnel costs for 2018 in the city of Defiance. Those are key ingredients in balancing the budget for next year, when it comes to operating costs. Defiance Council has already nailed-down their contract with the AFSCE union in the city, with a 2% increase projected for next year. That same hike will likely go for non-union city employees as well. The city of Defiance is still in the middle of negotiations with their police and fire department unions for new contracts. The current agreements with those bargaining units will expire at the end of this month.