In what Genesee County Manager Matt Landers labeled a “spirited but good process,” the county settled a three-year deal with the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association that lands at just under a half million dollars for the first year.
The agreement between the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the county includes raises of 7.5 percent for 2024 that will have a budget impact of $480,546 for items such as overtime salaries, hourly on-call, holiday and special pay, social security and Medicare taxes, and retirement expenses.
“I think at the end of the day, both sides are getting everything they want with the signing of the contract. So I'm pleased that we can get this done,” Landers said during Wednesday’s Ways & Means meeting. “I think the vote was very favorable, It was better than the CSEA contract. I think there was one no."
The union contract also includes raises of 5 percent for 2025 and 3 percent in 2026.
The agreement was negotiated with the county Legislature, Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. The Ways & Means Committee agreed to pass it onto the full Legislature for a final vote next week. That meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Committee Chairwoman Marianne Clattenburg said that the contract serves two purposes: not only to “show our appreciation to the workforce and to retain, but also to recruit,” she said.
If approved, the total total budget expense would be broken down as follows:
- $ 257,567 to Sheriff, personal services
- $ 25,925 to Sheriff, overtime salaries
- $ 1,020 to Sheriff, overtime drug
- $ 3,522 to Sheriff, overtime Darien Lake
- $ 1,275 to Sheriff, overtime court
- $ 34,000 to Sheriff, additional police
- $ 6,227 to Sheriff, hourly on-call
- $ 12,070 to Sheriff, special pay holiday
- $ 2,295 to Sheriff, special pay training
- $ 7,395 to Sheriff, briefing
- $ 24,572 to Sheriff, social security tax
- $ 5,747 to Sheriff, Medicare tax
- $ 98,931 to Sheriff, retirement
“It’s a three-year deal, just like with the CSEA. And the logic now is, any kind of adjustments you could do in year one and then we go through and smooth it out. We've learned from prior ones not to go into a five-year deal, and I'm pleased with it,” Landers said. “It was a spirited process, but based on how the vote went, our team and internal management team was happy. It was a good process.”
