ORONO — Orono officials and representatives of the firefighter’s union continue to work to solve their differences, four months after receiving recommendations from the fact-finding board to which they turned for help last year.

After reaching a stalemate in negotiations on a number of issues, the Orono Fire Fighter’s Association filed to have the case appear before a fact-finding board last September. Nearly 30 points of contention divided the two sides, with the main arguments centering on health insurance, wages, and the length of the work week.

Currently, the town pays 100 percent of the costs of health insurance for members of the force, but skyrocketing coverage costs prompted the town to ask firefighters to pick up part of the tab, a request supported by the report.

If both sides were to follow the non-binding recommendations of the board, however, the period in which the town is to pay all the insurance costs is scheduled to expire June 30, a year after the last contract expired. After July 1, should officials accept the recommendations, the town would continue to pay insurance costs for firefighters, although firefighters would pay 25 percent of the cost of insuring their dependents, according to a copy of the report, which was obtained by the NEWS from the Maine Labor Relations Board through the Freedom of Information Act after both sides declined to release a copy to the media.

The wage and work-week proposal issued by the board has been another obstacle in negotiations. Currently, firefighters earn a starting pay of $295 for a 53-hour work week, a scale that increases to $360 after four years. The proposal issued by the board calls for a pay range of $323.19 to $408.24 for a 48-hour work week beginning July 1.

Although still divided on some issues, officials from both sides said Sunday they are hoping to reach a consensus soon.

“It’s reasonably fair and we are willing to negotiate on that basis,” Town Manager Bruce A. Locke said of the report.

“I would hope for a quick resolve — I’ve been hoping for a quick resolve,” said Lorin LeCleire, president of the Orono Fire Fighter’s Association.

Representatives of both sides met March 15 for the first time in months, according to LeCleire, who said that when officials next meet they will be joined by a state-appointed mediator.

LeCleire echoed Locke’s statements about the fairness of the report, but added that both sides also should study a minority opinion written by Charles J. O’Leary, president of the Maine AFL-CIO, which sided with the union’s proposals on the issues of of management rights and health insurance coverage.