HILLSDALE, Mich. — The Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Dec. 23 to approve a collective bargaining agreement with the sheriff’s office nonsupervisory unit represented by the Police Officers Labor Council.

The agreement, effective Jan. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2030, was presented by the personnel committee and contains adjustments to wages and benefits, an increase in accidental death life insurance benefit levels and a short‑term post‑retirement benefit for eligible employees. The contract package includes appendices describing health, vision and dental plan options; the board and union negotiators agreed to language allowing modest flexibility to add or modify offered plans by appendix while requiring notice to the parties.

Commissioners praised the negotiation process and said incremental steps were taken toward greater uniformity in personnel policies county‑wide. “We made good progress... to have uniform policy for all of our employees across county government,” one commissioner said during the meeting.

The board authorized the chair and vice‑chair to sign the agreement and directed human resources to distribute clean copies and update handbook language where necessary.

Why it matters
The contract establishes compensation and benefits for a sizable county employee group and includes provisions the board said will limit future liabilities and bring greater uniformity to county personnel policies.

What happens next
Human Resources will circulate the clean contract and appendices to union and county signatories and update handbook language to reflect the negotiated changes.