CHENANGO COUNTY – The Chenango County Board of Supervisors has struck a deal with a local employees’ union that officials hope will give the county more teeth in a very competitive job market.

The revamped contractual agreement between the county and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) extends the union’s existing contract through the end of 2024. While the previous contract wasn’t set to expire until December 2023, the revised contract allows for wage increases and starting salaries that make job openings more palatable for potential hires.

The county board voted without opposition to approve the contract on Monday. It will take effect on October 1.

“I was pleased,” said Chenango County Board Chairman George Seneck. “The agreement that was approved should allow the county to be more competitive and attract more employees.”

Terms of the agreement call for a $2 per hour increase to the current base hourly wages for all Chenango County CSEA employees, with an additional $1 per hour for county DPW employees holding a CDL license. Similarly, the county’s IT department will also get an additional $1 per hour due to being reallocated on the CSEA salary schedule in 2019.

As for other positions, most will see a wage increase amounting to roughly $3,000 more per year. This goes for staff in nearly every department of county government. What’s more, hourly employees’ annual raise will increase from two percent under the previous contract, to 4 percent under terms of the new one.

All told, the contract warrants an $800,000 increase for county personnel, according to the county treasurer’s office.

“Both the county and the CSEA think it’s a fair and equitable agreement and it will help the county move forward with retention and recruitment,” said Chenango County Personnel Officer Lisa Kerr. “We are having some difficulty recruiting, as are a lot of employers. It would be helpful to get our openings out there to let people know what types of opportunities exist.”

There are nearly 30 full-time and part-time vacancies in the county in almost every department.

Despite support from the county board, there was concern among some board members about details of contract negotiations leaking out to the public. Some said word about pay increases made it to their local townships, even before a CSEA union vote, causing their town highway employees to resign in favor of potentially better paying jobs at the county level. County officials entered an executive session during a special Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday to discuss the issue.

With a new CSEA contract in place, Chenango County board members are now turning attention to negotiations with a separate union of corrections officers. Seneck said he will meet with union representatives this week to begin talks for a new contract for employees at the county jail.