Lorain County commissioners approved a new contract for county 911 employees on Tuesday, October 20, in Elyria, while rejecting a proposed agreement for sheriff’s deputies. The split decisions continued a series of disagreements between the board and Sheriff Jack Hall over employee pay, benefits and county finances.
The approved agreement covers the county’s 911 agency and its union, the Fraternal Order of Police/Ohio Labor Council. It includes wage increases of 4.5 percent in 2027, 3.5 percent in 2028 and 4 percent in 2029. The agreement also sets wage steps based on employee skills and experience and eliminates longevity payments.
Commissioners said the 911 agreement recognizes the public safety role of emergency dispatch workers while balancing compensation with the county’s financial responsibilities. The board took a different position on the proposal from the Sheriff’s Office Deputies’ Association, saying the requested wage increases exceeded the pattern set in other county labor agreements and raising concerns about health insurance provisions.
The board also questioned how the deputies’ negotiations were conducted. Commissioners said county representatives have taken part in Sheriff’s Office collective bargaining for about 25 years and were excluded from negotiations involving deputies and corrections officers this year. They said contract discussions should begin about 90 days before an agreement expires.
Hall disputed that account of the timing. He said his staff initiated communications with the county’s law firm, Clemans, Nelson & Associates, in September 2025, more than 90 days before the deputies’ previous contract expired in January 2026. His statement addressed contact with the county’s labor representatives, though it did not establish whether commissioners themselves participated in the bargaining sessions.
Tuesday’s votes followed earlier disagreements over Sheriff’s Office contracts. On September 29, commissioners rejected tentative agreements involving corrections officers, clerical workers and maintenance personnel, citing concerns about financial projections, wage calculations, insurance provisions and staffing. Hall disputed several of those concerns at the time and said projected wage increases had already been included in his office’s budget planning.
The contract decisions also come during a separate dispute over control of county emergency communications. In March 2026, Hall filed a lawsuit against the Board of Commissioners in Lorain County Common Pleas Court concerning authority over county 911 operations and access to law enforcement systems. No direct connection between that case and the contract votes has been established.
Lorain County has 18 collective bargaining units. Commissioners said 14 have participated in negotiations and 11 have reached agreements. Commissioner President David J. Moore said the board must balance employee compensation with its responsibility to taxpayers, and commissioners said they remain willing to work toward resolving the outstanding concerns involving deputies and corrections officers. The rejection leaves the deputies’ proposed agreement unresolved, with no announced timetable for another decision.