Shelby County treasurer and supporters decry board-approved union raises, cite statute and AG opinion

A county official and other residents used the public-comment period of the Sept. 11 Shelby County Board meeting to criticize a recently ratified union contract that they say gave county employees double-digit raises and shifted 100% of health-insurance premiums onto taxpayers.

They said the contract undermined the treasurer’s statutory personnel authority and cited an attorney-general opinion and state statute to argue the board lacked authority to fix treasurer office compensation. The complaints came during public comment rather than as part of an agenda item; no formal board action on the contract was taken at the meeting.

The public comment began with a speaker who said a union contract approved by the board gave “my employee a 17.19% raise over 15 months” and, when combined with the county paying full health-insurance premiums, amounted to a 19.43% increase. The speaker said they had emailed the board and the state’s attorney on Dec. 16, 2024, attaching “an attorney general opinion” and cited the statute…