Raises handed out to about 250 employees in Westmoreland County’s court-related offices appear to be double what was estimated when a new four-year labor contract was ratified in April, according to an analysis from Controller Jeffrey Balzer.

Balzer said the deal with the Westmoreland County Court Related Employees Association, approved unanimously by county commissioners, calls for raises that total nearly 20% over the course of the deal.

“These raises are higher than advertised and what they said they would be,” Balzer said Monday.

In April, county officials touted the deal as one being in line with other union contracts approved over the previous two years. They said it included annual raises that averaged between 2.25% to 2.5% annually, according to Human Resources Director Alexis Bevan.

Balzer said his payroll department crunched the numbers and found that the annual average raises approached nearly 10% in 2021, costing taxpayers an additional $890,000 this year. Raises tail off to 2.4% in 2022, increase to 4.5% in 2023 and drop to 2.4% in the final year of the deal.

In addition to the hourly raises, the deal signed off on by commissioners included changes to the employee pay scale, Balzer said.

The court-related union represents staff in offices that include the sheriff’s department, clerk of courts, prothonotary, register of wills, domestic relations and district courts.

“I don’t believe there’s anything nefarious here. I just think it’s not what they thought they voted on,” Balzer said. “Other unions are going to want the same treatment, and that could be a problem down the road.”

A four-year deal with the county’s largest collective bargaining unit, the Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare Pennsylvania, which represents about 640 full-time employees throughout county government, called for average annual raises of 2%. That deal included additional salary bumps for nurses at Westmoreland Manor and 911 dispatch staffers.

Commissioners late last year approved 2% raises in 2021 for the county’s nonunion staff.

Balzer said both the human resources staffers who negotiated the court-related employees union contract and commissioners were presented with the controller’s analysis earlier this month.

“We walked away with the impression the commissioners may not have realized they approved what was in there,” Balzer said.

Commissioner Sean Kertes said he received Balzer’s report and said he would review the issue with fellow commissioners Doug Chew and Gina Cerilli Thrasher, the county’s human resources director and solicitor before commenting.

Solicitor Melissa Guiddy issued a statement Monday that confirmed commissioners have launched a review.

“At this time, the county is reviewing the calculations provided by the controller in comparison to the overall percentage increase over the life of the agreement. Until additional review has been completed, the county will be unable to comment further,” according to the short statement.

Chew said he needed time to review the issue. Thrasher did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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