A county committee voted to recommend two labor agreements to the finance committee and approved the county's annual opt-out of Michigan Public Act 152 of 2011 for the 2026 medical plan year.

Dan Clenner, chief of labor relations, told the committee the AFSCME contract (covering about 78 employees in court-related areas) and a four-year command-unit contract for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office were negotiated with wage increases tied to market comparables in Kent and Macomb counties. Clenner said the four-year structure staggers renewals and reduces the previous workload of simultaneous bargaining cycles.

Committee members discussed staffing challenges in the sheriff's office and noted increased use of personal leave; Clenner and others said the settlement matched comparable market rates and helps recruitment.

Motion and votes: The committee took the two labor items (agenda items 9a and 9b) together and voted to recommend both favorably to the finance committee. Commissioner Taylor moved the recommendation; Commissioner Hoffman seconded. The clerk announced the vote as unanimous.

Separately, the committee voted to grant the county the annual exemption from PA 152 of 2011 for calendar year 2026. Human Resources staff explained the county has opted out each year since 2011; the opt-out allows the county to continue offering the current level of medical coverage and employer cost-share structures that staff said help retain and attract employees. The committee voted to recommend the opt-out to the full board; the recorded voice vote was unanimous.

No details of the negotiated wage rates were read into the record during the public committee session; the staff presentation said comparables and arbitration rules informed the sheriff's command-unit settlement. The committee forwarded the labor agreements to finance for final review and processing.