BEATRICE – The Gage County Board has rejected the final contract offer of the Fraternal Order of Police local that represents sheriff’s deputies and sergeants and corrections officers.


The board Tuesday voted 5-0, with two members absent...against the offer, after discussing it in closed session for about an hour-and-fifteen minutes. County Board Chairman Eric Tiemann said the county wants to treat all employees fairly when it comes to compensation but the supervisors voted down the last offer by the FOP.


"The toughest thing I'm looking at is we run very lean as a county. Law enforcement, corrections have seen a nearly 20-percent increase last year. In this agreement, they're asking for another 20-percent. Most people are not seeing 20-percent increases in their wages. The public are the ones paying our bills. How do we justify this to the public, seeing huge increases year after year after year? How do we justify this to the other departments in the courthouse, where we obviously can't do that, either?"


Supervisor Gary Lytle said he felt the county’s negotiations committee and that representing the officers was close to an agreement, but ultimately could not finalize a new contract. He said the primary issues were compensation and compensatory time.


"This was the FOP's last offer. This board intends to have a last and best offer to the FOP, in good faith. The board has to vote on that."


Board member Emily Haxby said the county has to consider its budget, and whether the new contract can fit within that.


Lytle said after the meeting that the county can adopt and enforce its final offer, and it would be up to the FOP to decide if it will accept that…or send the matter to the Court of Industrial Relations for consideration.
Tiemann says both sides came close to reaching an agreement, but need to narrow the differences a little more….saying, “we’re not over the hump, yet’.


The supervisors will vote on the county’s best contract offer, at their January 8th meeting. The local Fraternal Order of Police contract covers about 30 sheriff’s deputies, sergeants and corrections officers.