BEATRICE – The Gage County Board Wednesday approved the county’s final contract offer to the Fraternal Order of Police Local, representing sheriff’s sergeants, deputies and corrections officers.


But the 6-1 vote was essentially moot, since the F-O-P has already filed to take the dispute to the Nebraska Commission on Industrial Relations, to sort out.


County Supervisor Emily Haxby said the county appreciates the service of county law officers, but added the county has worked to increase compensation and benefits in recent years. She cited past increases of 12-to-14-percent ….subsequent hikes of 10-to 17 percent…and the most recent offer aimed at keeping compensation competitive.


"With the most recent inflation rate at 2.7-percent, we believe our current offer for wage increases is appropriately aligned. The FOP offer rejected by our board included wage increases ranging from 9.68-percent, to 17.86 percent...and an increase of 220-percent in the comp and holiday time. To put those percentages in perspective, we would see a rough increase of about $255,000 to our budget. What do we cut, to fit that? Is it four less cars, Do we cut employees and services in other areas? Is it less equipment, or do we go to the taxpayers and ask for more?"


County Board Chairman Erich Tiemann voted no on the county’s final contract offer…because he sees the real problem as a system for handling wage disputes that is skewed.


"Every time one of our neighboring counties, or ourselves....raises a wage....it all of a sudden artificially lowers where our neighbors are. We want to re-emphasize we do not fault our deputies or corrections officers, for this. They're using the rules that are in place and they're being manipulated to benefit that person."


Tiemann said it was the most difficult negotiation period he’s seen in recent years. He said the county hopes to get a fair result through the C-I-R, on a problem he said many other counties are dealing with.


Supervisor Gary Lytle, who chairs the board’s law enforcement committee and was involved in the negotiations, said there wasn’t a whole lot to say, other than the county had stated its final offer.


Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson said he’s concerned about cuts that may have to be made if the county doesn’t get a favorable ruling before the Commission on Industrial Relations.