To: Board of Supervisors
From: Human Resources
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Approval of the 2026 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Between the County of Humboldt and the Law Enforcement Management (LEM) Representation Unit 7
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve and authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute the Memorandum of Understanding with LEM (Attachment No. 1) for the term of 2026 for the MOU between the County of Humboldt and LEM Representation Unit 7; and
2. Adopt Resolution (Attachment No. 4) approving amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Humboldt and LEM Representation Unit effective March 29, 2025.
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STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Workforce & Operational Excellence
Strategic Plan Category: 3003 - Enhance employee recruitment and retention
DISCUSSION:
The County of Humboldt and the LEM Representation Unit 7 have agreed to the matters set forth in the attached Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Representation 7 (Attachment No. 1) for the term of 2026.
The attached MOU outlines agreed upon amendments including the following:
1. Term: 1 year from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2026
2. One-Time Payment: Effective the first full pay period following the Board of Supervisors adoption of the LEM MOU, all members of the bargaining unit shall receive a one-time, non-recurring, non-pensionable lump sum payment of $1,500.00 minus all applicable payroll deductions.
3. Clothing Reimbursement: Increases the uniform allowance to $885.00.
4. Holidays: December 24th will now be a scheduled County paid holiday.
5. Vacation Conversion: Vacation language was added to clarify changes to this section in compliance with the doctrine of construction receipt codified in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 451. This revision outlines that employees covered by this compensation plan shall have the option to convert vacation accrual (limited to a designated amount) to cash when an irrevocable election is made in the preceding calendar year.
6. Insurance Coverage: Effective the first full month following approval of this compensation plan and for the remainder of the 2026 health plan year, the county will increase its contribution to cover 100% of the increase in the lowest cost health insurance plan premium from calendar year 2025 to 2026.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
General Fund
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
|
Expenditures (Various) |
FY25-26 |
FY26-27 Projected* |
|
One-Time Payment |
$15,249 |
$0 |
|
Health Insurance |
$6,571 |
$13,142 |
|
Uniform Allowance |
$1,100 |
$2,199 |
|
Total Expenditures |
$22,920 |
$15,344 |
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
|
Funding Sources (Various)FY25-26 FY26-27 Projected* |
|
|
|
General Fund |
$22,920 |
$15,342 |
|
Total Expenditures |
$22,920 |
$15,342 |
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
Narrative Explanation of Financial Impact:
Total costs to the county for this MOU are estimated to be $38,262, spread across fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 and FY 2026-27. The costs were not anticipated in FY 2025-26, however, as they are minimal, it is expected that they will be able to be absorbed in the department’s budgets. Should they not be able to be absorbed, the General Fund has $5 million in contingencies for labor negotiations set aside which may be used to support departments budgets as needed.
STAFFING IMPACT:
There is not a direct staffing impact to the approval of this MOU.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
LEM Representation Unit 7
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your Board could choose not to adopt the Resolution approving the 2026 MOU between the County and LEM Representation Unit 7; however, this is not recommended. This option is not recommended as the 2025 MOU expired on December 31, 2025.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Humboldt and the LEM for Representation of Unit 7
2. Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Humboldt and the LEM for Representation Unit 7 in track changes
3. Compensation Schedule
4. Resolution No. ___ Approving the Memorandum of Understanding for Representation Unit 7
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: 5/6/2025
File No.: 25-614