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The first regular meeting of the reorganized Monroe County Board was fairly uneventful on Wednesday.

The Board began the meeting by recognizing former County Board Supervisor Richard Yarrington for his years of service. Yarrington received a plaque of recognition from chairman Dennis Hubbard. Yarrington also gave the board a parting piece of advice concerning the construction of a new Justice Center.

“The only thing I would say to the new board right now is don’t delay on borrowing that money,” Yarrington said. “And pay it off as fast as you can.”

The County Board moved its monthly resolutions ahead of committee reports on Wednesday evening’s agenda. A resolution to transfer $465,174 from the county’s contingency fund to county department budgets to cover the cost of salary and fringe benefit increases was passed unanimously with little debate. A two-thirds vote was necessary, and the resolution passed 23-0. The county settled with health and dental insurance companies for 2008 rates, along with wage increases for non-union employees and Human Services unions. Each department has calculated the amounts necessary to cover the increased costs of wages and fringe benefits for the 2008 calendar year.

The county also considered resolutions to ratify arbitration awards for 2007-2008 collective bargaining agreements between the county and the Highway and Sheriff’s Department unions. Parties were unable to settle differences, and the matters went to arbitration hearings in February and March of 2008. The resolutions were mainly for information, Monroe County Personnel Director Ken Kittleson told the board.

“We settled with five of seven unions for 2007-2008,” Kittleson said. “Bringing these resolutions to the board is more or less for information. If the board votes them down, they will probably end up in court.”

The arbitrator in the case of the Highway Union issued an award in favor of the county’s final offer which includes two percent wage increases on Jan. 1, 2007 and Jan. 1, 2008. A one-half percent increase on July 1, 2008 and the addition of a $100 single/$200 family health insurance deductible effective Jan. 1, 2008, were also included in the award.

In the case of the Sheriff’s Department Union, the arbitrator issued an award in favor of the union’s final offer, which also includes two percent wage increases on Jan. 1 in 2007 and 2008. The Sheriff’s Department Union’s offer also includes a one percent wage increase on July 1 in 2007 and 2008. Both resolutions were passed unanimously.