County presents multiple union agreements that would provide 2024–2026 COLAs

Jamar Harry, introduced as a testifier for several collective bargaining items, summarized multiple county agreements and amendments presented at the public hearing. He grouped CB 20-series bills and other bargaining agreements and said three related bills concern extensions and adoption of conflicting provisions for different unions.

He said several amended agreements provide a 2% across-the-board cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) effective July 1, 2024, and a 3% COLA effective Jan. 1, 2025, with the agreements expiring June 30, 2025, for some units. For the Howard County Police Supervisors Alliance Lodge 143 the agreement proposed a schedule including 1% on 07/01/2024, 3% on 01/01/2025, 1% on 07/01/2025 and 3% on 01/01/2026. For the police officers’ agreement (Lodge 21) and for dispatchers the bills propose multi-year COLA schedules that differ by contract; the presenter noted that some contract provisions conflict with Title I (human resources code) or the employee manual, and those conflicts are documented in the agreements.

The clerk and staff answered a council question about what "conflicting provisions" means, and the presenter said the contracts outline which benefits differ from the employee manual or code. The transcript records the presentations and clarifications but does not show recorded council votes.