Board approves AFSCME tentative agreement, updated wage study and 4% court staff increase

The Mackinac County Board of Commissioners approved several personnel and pay actions at its Dec. 22, 2025 meeting.

Commissioner John Kling moved and Commissioner Austin Kimberling seconded approval of a tentative agreement with AFSCME covering represented county employees; the board approved the tentative agreement on a unanimous roll call. Kling also reported he'd contacted the firm that conducted the county's 2023 wage study and moved to update the study's data to present wage figures; the board voted to implement the updated wage study.

Chief Judge Beth A. Gibson requested that court staff receive the same increase as AFSCME members. After questions from Court Administrator Christine Bawol, Commissioner Kimberling moved and Commissioner Schroeder seconded a 4% pay increase for all court employees for 2026; the board approved the measure unanimously.

Minutes attached to the meeting record note that documents (the tentative agreement and the wage-study materials) were provided to commissioners as part of the packet; the minutes do not include the full text of those documents. No dissenting votes were recorded.