At a June 5 meeting, the Anne Arundel County (Md.) Council approved physical fitness stipends for senior fire chiefs.

The 31 battalion chiefs, division chiefs and deputy chiefs will now enjoy the same $600 annual stipend that rank-and-file members of the county’s firefighters union Local 1563 receive. The union's 764 firefighters have been receiving the stipend since 2004.

The stipends were part of a comprehensive bill raising pay for nonunion workers, including corrections officers, but only the chiefs receive the stipend. The bill extended the stipends to nonunion fire department officials so their pay and benefits would be on par with the union contract.

Although the bill funding the payment of the stipends drew criticism because it does not require firefighters to prove they are spending the stipends on gym memberships or exercise equipment, the council passed it unanimously.