It's a move the Cambria County Commissioners said will save the county money, but employees said they want to know how.

Since 2007 members of a health care committee, made up of county employees and union members, said they've saved Cambria County more than $5 million by serving as their own broker. But Thursday the commissioners signed a contract with an outside agency to take over that task.

"We're not looking to take anything away from what we already do," said Commissioner Mark Wissinger. "But if we can find a niche that will save us money and contain costs and keep the benefits that we have, that's our goal."

Two of the three commissioners approved a contract with Gallagher Benefits Service to take over the task of brokering the county's health and welfare employee benefit programs. It will cost them $100,000 a year for each of the next three years.

"When I want to know information about insurance I try to seek out professionals," said President Commissioner Doug Lengenfelder.

But not everybody agrees with the cost it takes to hire those professionals, and Commissioner Tom Chernisky opposed the move.

"We needed not to kick you in the teeth. We needed to engage you because you do this day in and day out, know the questions to ask, hard questions," said Chernisky. "I would welcome Gallagher to meet with you folks before we make any vote at all to make sure it's the right decision to vote on."

And several other county employees in attendance Thursday agreed, saying the commissioners are moving too fast. In fact , it wasn't until Tuesday the committee said they were made aware that an outside group would be coming in to take over.

"They made no presentation to the health care committee, we had no chance to ask questions about services they're providing, if any, where the money would come from to pay them," said Patricia Moore, an assistant public defender for the county. "It's our understanding the county has no money."

The Gallagher group promises to save the county $300,000 the first year. 6 News tried talking with them after the meeting to see how, but Lengenfelder would not allow it. It's a question Moore said the committee still wants answered.

"It's a mystery to us," said Moore. "We're down to the bare bones as far as we can see and that seems to be certainly a direct contradiction to a promise of transparency."

The county solicitor still needs to sign off on the contract but it is a done deal because the vote passed 2-1.

County employees told 6 News they will be watching this new deal, and the way it unfolds, very closely.