The Michigan Employment Relations Commission has now ruled Grand Traverse County has to pay back the sheriff’s department after increasing healthcare contributions.
For years the county has worked to reduce its $60 million budget shortfall when it comes to pensions.
The county raised healthcare contributions from 6 to 20 percent to help with costs.
The move would have saved the county roughly $642,000 a year.
But the sheriff’s department filed an unfair labor complaint since they were in the middle of a union contract.
They won and now the county will have to reimburse the department $142,000 if they don’t file an appeal.
The County Administrator says the key to paying off their pension debt is lowering operating costs.
"For the county to get out of its pension legacy obligations its going to have to lower its operating costs. If it doesn’t do that it will never get out of it. This is critical one of the steps to lowering the operating costs of the organization," said Tom Menzel.
The union contracts expire in December.
Menzel says it will then be up to the Board Of Commissioners to decide whether it wants to increase the sheriff’s department’s insurance premiums again.
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