Commission approves deputy collective-bargaining agreement; extends 457 retirement plan to additional deputies

The Flathead County Board of Commissioners approved two personnel actions Wednesday: signature of a collective bargaining agreement with the Flathead County Law Enforcement Association for deputy sheriff employees and an HR transmittal enrolling four additional sworn deputy positions in a 457 retirement plan.

Tammy, a county human resources official, told commissioners the collective bargaining agreement would “become effective, this current payroll, which begins yesterday, January 12, and it has a term date of 12/31/2025.” The board approved the signature by voice vote after a commissioner moved the action and another seconded; the chair called the motion carried.

Why it matters: the contract and the 457 transmittal change how deputy compensation and retirement contributions are handled. Tammy estimated the cost to taxpayers of the contract at approximately $53,000 and described the agreement as the product of multiple negotiation sessions between both parties. She also detailed recent compensation patterns for sworn deputies: about 60 deputies were employed the prior full fiscal year, 16 deputies were paid “over a” (overtime or higher gross) and another 15 deputies were paid in the $90,000 range.

Commission discussion touched on timing and the negotiation record. Tammy said the signed copy of the most recent proposal was received December 11 after an exchange of proposals and corrections; commissioners noted holidays and prior contract errors contributed to the timeline. One commissioner asked how local deputy pay compared with other Montana jurisdictions; Tammy said she did not have immediate comparative gross-income figures and could follow up.

On the 457 transmittal, Tammy explained the background: sworn deputies voted last year to stop Social Security contributions and the new collective bargaining agreement provides for diverting both employee and employer contributions into a 457 plan. The HR transmittal applies that same arrangement to four sworn deputy positions that were not included in the bargaining unit agreement.

Both items were approved by voice vote with no roll-call tallies recorded in the meeting minutes. After the votes, the chair adjourned the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Signature: Flathead County Law Enforcement Association collective bargaining agreement (Deputy Sheriff employees). Motion moved by Unnamed Commissioner 1; seconded by Unnamed Commissioner 2. Outcome: approved by voice vote. Effective: payroll beginning January 12; term date 12/31/2025. Estimated county cost: approximately $53,000 (as stated by Tammy).

- HR transmittal: Sworn deputy 457 retirement plan (extend 457 plan to four sworn deputy positions not covered by the bargaining agreement). Motion moved by Unnamed Commissioner 3; seconded by Unnamed Commissioner 4. Outcome: approved by voice vote.

The board did not record a roll-call vote; the chair announced the motions carried and moved to the next agenda item.