Osceola County supervisors approve 4% union pay increase; discuss 12‑hour deputy shifts and enter closed session

The Osceola County Board of Supervisors approved a negotiated union contract that includes a 4% across‑the‑board pay increase and takes effect July 1, 2025, and then spent much of its discussion on a separate proposal to move sheriff’s deputies to 12‑hour shifts, which county staff said would raise annual hours and require changes to overtime and base‑pay calculations. The board later voted to enter closed session under Iowa Code to discuss law‑enforcement matters and attorney strategy.

County staff member Jack, who presented the contract language to the board, said the contract’s negotiated items were largely clarifications and a benefit to the county. “The 4% across the board is what the supervisors had approved of,” Jack said as the board prepared to vote on the agreement. The board approved the negotiated items by a voice vote.

Why it matters: The pay increase and contract language affect county personnel costs and payroll administration. The separate 12‑hour shift proposal directly affects staffing, scheduling and overtime exposure for the sheriff’s office; county staff warned the change would raise annual hours worked per deputy and therefore change payroll calculations and potentially raise costs unless base hourly wages or overtime formulas are adjusted.

Discussion and details

Jack and board members discussed the 12‑hour schedule at length after the contract vote. Jack said the union had proposed 12‑hour shifts but “didn’t do all of their homework,” and outlined two technical issues that would need resolution: (1) the department’s overtime calculation, which for officers is governed by federal overtime rules and includes a maximum hours threshold in a multi‑week period before overtime applies; and (2) the change in annual hours a deputy would work under a 12‑hour schedule.

Using one 12‑hour schedule example, Jack estimated a single deputy could work roughly 143 additional hours per year under a 12‑hour system compared with the county’s current annual figure. The transcript records the county’s current full‑time annual hours at 1,950; adding about 143 hours would put an example total near 2,093 hours annually. Jack said that increase would mean deputies would either need an adjusted base hourly rate or that the county would have to change overtime calculations to avoid effectively paying substantially more annual wages without adjusting hourly rates. “That’s one of their sacrifices that they would have to make,” Jack said, referring to union members who favor the shift change.

Board members and staff also noted operational benefits often cited for 12‑hour schedules, such as longer blocks of overlapping coverage, but they said the schedule is a “dramatic change” from an 8‑hour system and not all deputies support it. Jack said the deputy who had been advocating the change is no longer in the union, and he advised waiting to see whether the union submits a detailed proposal and a concrete schedule before the county pursues changes in negotiation. “The ball is in their court,” Jack said.

Closed session and procedure

Later in the meeting the board considered a request to enter closed session under Iowa Code section 21.5(1)(c) and (g) to allow discussion with counsel and to discuss current law‑enforcement matters. A motion to enter closed session was made and supported; the roll call recorded in the transcript shows Supervisor Helmers voting “aye,” Supervisor Devore voting “aye,” and the chair voting “aye.” The board then entered closed session as authorized under the cited provisions.

What was not decided

The board did not adopt any formal change to deputy schedules at the meeting. Staff and supervisors repeatedly said additional information and a concrete schedule from the union would be needed before any contract language or payroll changes could be negotiated and finalized.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of meeting agenda — Motion: Helmers; Second: DeBoer (Debord); Outcome: approved by voice vote (roll call not recorded in transcript).

- Approval of minutes for the February meeting — Motion: Helmers; Second: not specified; Outcome: approved by voice vote (roll call not recorded in transcript).

- Approval of negotiated items in the union contract (effective 07/01/2025) — Motion: not specified; Second: not specified; Outcome: approved by voice vote. Key terms referenced on the record: 4% across‑the‑board increase; effective date July 1, 2025.

- Authorization to enter closed session under Iowa Code section 21.5(1)(c) and (g) — Motion: not specified; Support recorded from Devore; Roll call recorded in transcript: Helmers — aye; Devore — aye; Chair — aye; Outcome: approved; board entered closed session.

Next steps

Supervisors and staff said they will await a formal, detailed proposal from the union (including a sample 12‑hour schedule) before reopening negotiations on shift structure. County staff recommended that if the union seeks to pursue the change, some issues to address in advance include a revised overtime formula and whether base hourly rates would be adjusted to reflect higher annual hours.