Contracts with two court related unions were approved by the Schuylkill County commissioners at their work session held Thursday at the courthouse in Pottsville.

The agreements call for a 3 percent pay increases for each of the next three years 2013-14-15 years. The co-payment for the health care will be increased under the new contract with payments of $40 for this year, $45 for 2014, and $50 for 2015 for each employee.Court Related One Union represents the adult and probation staff, district judges staff, court representatives, and law library. Court Related Two Union represents employees in the clerk of courts office, prothonotary office, register of wills office, district attorney's office, public defenders office, and sheriff's office.Other businessAction was taken to bring the county prison into the technology system.A contract was approved with Garland Communications Systems Inc. to accept its proposal to install a time clock software system, including all necessary equipment, training and a one-year service agreement at a cost of $6,070.The system will keep track of the time spent by workers on the job. Instead of punching into a time clock their faces will be scanned to clock the time they are on the job.A resolution was passed to adopt the 2013 Schuylkill County Hazardous Mitigation Plan update as required by law. The plan has received approval from Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and it received a satisfactory rating for all criteria. The board also approved the transition of the hazard mitigation plan update steering committee to a hazard mitigation planning committee to satisfy the Disaster Mitigation Act.The board appointed Thomas Yashinsky, of the Schuylkill County Chamber of Commerce, and Dana Moyer and Mike Micko, of the Schuylkill Transportation System, to represent the county on the Northeastern Pennsylvania Metropolitan Planning commission.Scott Krater, director of the Office of Public Safety Emergency 9-1-1, gave an update to the commissioners on the fixed network for those responding to 9-1-1 calls.He reported antennas and lines have been installed at eight tower sites with the remaining three sites scheduled be completed soon. The 11 towers will allow signals to be received in all parts of the county overcoming current dead spots.County Treasurer Jacqueline McGovern discussed her plan to have a master bond cover all county tax collectors to replace the individual bonds.She reported the coverage afforded would to identical and would streamline the process saving time and eliminating the filing of each individual bond and it would still cover all tax collectors.She estimated the total bond coverage amount values for county, municipalities, and school districts, is $63,596,631 with the county's portion being $8,286,445. The premium rate is $75,667 of which the county obligation is 13 percent which amounts to $9,937 for a four-year term.