Houghton County Board members Glenn Anderson, left and Tom Tikkanan, along with County Administrator Chelsea Jacques, discuss the courthouse union contract at a special meeting Thursday. The Board approved the three-year contract by a 4-0 vote. (Garrett Meese/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The Houghton County Board approved a three-year contract with the courthouse union at a special meeting Thursday afternoon.

Under the new agreement, courthouse workers receive a 1.75% increase as of Jan. 1, and then an additional 0.75% increase on July 1.

Raises for the remaining years of the agreement will depend on the outcome of a wage study being planned for later this year. All departments have reported their job descriptions, the human resources department is now able to work on a request for proposals, board Chairman Tom Tikkanen said at Thursday’s meeting.

“We’re still working on some documents to get that in order, and we hope to get the wage study out for bid by March, which would usually require about a six-plus-month turnaround,” Administrator Chelsea Jacques said Friday. “So hopefully by the end of the year, we’d receive it. And if we do, then we would see what the wage study says, and then see if we can implement what they suggest, and then we’ll have a wage reopener.”

If the wage study is not completed by the end of the year, employees would receive the same level of raise next year.

Jacques said the study would look at the pay rates in local counties, such as Keweenaw or Marquette, as well as other counties downstate of similar size. A particular priority is put on counties with universities similar to Michigan Tech, which has an impact on tax revenue, Jacques said.

“Then we will perform an analysis amongst the counties and see how the pay matches other jobs of the same type,” she said. “Then we will compare the job duties between those two, and then see what the going rate is.”

Other changes include allowing an employee to carry forward up to 10 weeks of unused vacation from year to year. When an employee leaves their job at the county, they will be paid out up to that amount of time of unused vacation based on their current rate.

Hospital and medical coverage plans were mostly unchanged, adding the stipulation that the county will meet with the union before putting any changes into effect.

In other action, the board:

Appointed Commissioner Glenn Anderson as the board’s representative on the Houghton County Recreation Authority, with Commissioner Joel Keranen as alternate.

Authorized Jacques to negotiate with Joe Mangan of accounting firm Lauterbach and Amen for an additional three-month contract as the county works on its audit.