Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone agrees to avert lag payroll

County Executive Steve Bellone and the county’s largest union have reached a tentative deal to avert a lag payroll for some 5,000 county employees.

Under the agreement, the county will suspend its $12 million contribution to the union’s benefit fund this year, and next year will begin repaying $1 million annually until 2028. The county also has agreed to guarantee that benefit fund reserves, which total $24 million, will not go below $12 million.

The benefit fund pays for dental, vision and other services for union members.

“The deal has become much better because we will be fully repaid,” said Brian Macri, president of the Association of Municipal Employees.

Deputy County Executive Jon Schneider said Bellone “worked very hard to avoid the need for a lag payroll because he understood the impact it would have on working families and felt this was a better way to realize these savings.”

When he was running for re-election last year, Bellone agreed to put off the lag payroll that had been negotiated in the union’s last contract. But the AME balked at his original alternative that would have taken $12 million from the benefit fund without any repayment.

The lag payroll would have held back a total of 10 days’ pay over 10 biweekly pay periods. Union officials said the money would be repaid to county workers at the rate of pay they would be earning when they leave the county employment.

Union officials say details of the tentative agreement will be sent to the 5,000 union members early next week. The deadline to return votes is April 1.

The county, which is struggling with budget deficits, originally had planned to initiate the lag during the first pay period in April. But the administration will hold off on any action until the ratification vote is complete.

Schneider said the county legislature will be asked to vote on an emergency resolution accepting the latest alternative at their March 22 meeting.