Jackson's governing body survived four proposals to abolish it Thursday as Miami-Dade County commissioners instead voted unanimously to put the beleaguered public health system on a ``management watch'' in which the mayor will follow it closely but not take control.

Commission Chairman Dennis Moss said ``we will be partners'' to help Jackson get out of a deficit expected to be $229.4 million this year unless major steps are taken. ``The Public Health Trust will be fully in charge.''

The vote came after two major pieces of good news for the troubled system:

• Jackson and the Service Employees International Union reached a agreement that could save the system millions this year and perhaps tens of millions next year. County Manager George Burgess called the deal ``hugely significant.''

• Burgess gave a positive report on Jackson's latest plan to deal with its cash problems. He said that a cash advance of $80 million that the county plans to send Jackson was ``enormously important'' in keeping the system solvent through Sept. 30. Without it, Jackson was going to have a hard time making payroll in April.

The system's problems are still huge, Burgess told the commission. Even if the latest recovery proposal works, it will leave a $130 million deficit this year -- and a ``significantly negative'' result next fiscal year as well.

Still, the good news delivered by Burgess seemed to buoy the spirits of commissioners, many of whom earlier in the day had been complaining about money Jackson was spending on consultants and marketing.

Tabling the four proposals for a new Jackson governing entity, the commission passed a resolution that ``directs the mayor to place the PHT on a management watch on such terms as the mayor deems appropriate, including the authority to assign support personnel and staffing to the PHT as need.''

The mayor will then regularly report about Jackson's progress to the commissioners, according to the resolution, but how regularly was not specified.

Mayor Carlos Alvarez said that he was familiar with putting a county department on a management watch, in which the department had to come up with an action plan and comply with it. But the PHT is a separate legal entity. ``I'm not sure what management watch means in terms of dealing with the Trust.''

Moss told him the commission wanted him to figure out the best way to track Jackson's recovery efforts and report if they were failing.

The union deal involved a major trade off: Workers will take in essence a 5 percent pay cut while Jackson promises not to lay off any more workers for the next six months after the 650 layoffs already announced.

Martha Baker, president of SEIU Local 1991, said she and other union leaders worked past 10 Wednesday night at County Hall with Jackson and county officials to reach an agreement, which Baker said was signed at 12:55 p.m. Thursday -- five minutes before union members staged a Save Jackson rally.

According to the agreement, SEIU workers will contribute 5 percent of their base pay to their own health insurance -- a deal that many county unions agreed to earlier.

For one year, the SEIU accepted a one-year freeze of salary step increases and longevity bonuses, an SEIU release said. In July 2011 all employees will receive a 3 percent raise.

The Jackson press release said that layoffs related to the county commission on Tuesday will occur on May 6: ``That includes 112 registered nurses, 63 employees in the professional unit and 16 attending physicians, along with employees from other bargaining units.''