OSCODA COUNTY — At its Jan. 26 meeting, the Oscoda County Road Commission board agreed to give the Road Commission’s five salaried employees a 25-cent per hour raise.

Road Commission Manager Ron Bruner said that the commission’s union employees, who are members of Steelworkers Union #14540, had negotiated a 25-cent raise in their contract three years ago, with that raise taking effect March 1. He said the union has received a 25-cent raise each year since that agreement was adopted.

He said the board decided to give non-union employees the same raise. “Our contract was due Feb. 1, so they decided to give us the same raise they’re going to give the union,” he said.

In addition, Bruner said he met with the two members of the board’s insurance committee, Jim Holton and Roger Wiegand, to discuss possible changes to the health insurance coverage that the board receives.

He said currently, the Road Commission offers PPO-12, or CB-12, insurance coverage through Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and that the Road Commission pays approximately $33,000 in premiums per month. If the commission were to change its coverage, Bruner said it would be to CB-14 coverage, which means the Road Commission would pay $36,000 per month.

Besides the increased premiums the commission would have to pay, Bruner said the main difference in the two policies is that as part of the CB-14 coverage, there would be a 50 percent increase in deductibles. The CB-12 plan has deductibles of $1,000 for single-person coverage and $2,000 for family coverage, while the CB-14 plan would have a deductible of $1,500 for single-person coverage and $3,000 for family coverage.

Bruner said three out of the five Oscoda County Road Commissioners would have to approve the change for it to take effect, and added that the board is expected to discuss this issue on Tuesday, Feb. 2. He said in addition to Holton and Wiegand, the other three commissioners are Owen Smith, Frank Beck, and Scook Morse.

In other Road Commission developments, Bruner said he expects the Road Commission to work on its Water Wheel Court Bridge project this spring. He said the bridge is located about a half-mile north of Luzerne, on County Road 49.

“We already removed the bridge last year, and we’re putting in a timber bridge this year,” he said. “Whatever company they (the Road Commission board) awards it (the bid) to will make the bridge.”

Bruner estimated that the project would cost about $90,000.