[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6164217,"mediaKeyId","5430052-8b3a95cc270279dd2fcb6cc5fc1ee8cf","parentId",5430052,"title","County budget official proposes 4% COLA; department heads broadly urge approval, flag Oracle/step‑chart limits on merit pay","audioSeconds",3022,"startMs",2640000,"endMs",5662000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5430052-8b3a95cc270279dd2fcb6cc5fc1ee8cf&start=2640&end=5662","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5430052-8b3a95cc270279dd2fcb6cc5fc1ee8cf/thumbnail_2640000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6164217/Brazos-County/Texas/County-budget-official-proposes-4-COLA-department-heads-broadly-urge-approval-flag-Oraclestepchart-limits-on-merit-pay","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164217-5f9053b582d382dd7a7a2fae4512d872/orig.mp4?Expires=1776692534&Signature=lCJM5X1s3b74FF1hsz1lnHjFLfdGNOcDIdmi5L8KNmSmqW824R6kci4YfYzlabmfleyeqy4-MbzR7Cd1SmFFSoRQuG7gt3mXfd08SMUqCLygj6jfjli6W7Rm9VjkA09js3Ji6CIGdiwoEFbKeamjRbX5JTwFKTsNa9oNwzJt977jWTiciilr4H1G3tC5IUb5MZ5aETYx2WbN6StvrLQCBTszijTaoTQdSBFEHbUbAxm1kXu-w6zo~Ze306G95bTFGtkGX1mzN17Voiegcg2Kp7cE0XBoFkRegq27bN7CFORHnWkATKrfNWSeNf2mmtCgDmsdMs-JiFw7aMY61f6a-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Brazos County, Texas","date","2025-07-18T16:10:41Z","article","Brazos County — At a July 15 Brazos County Commissioners Court budget workshop, county budget director Nina Payne proposed a 4% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for FY2026 and recommended postponing a merit policy change until the county can implement a reliable one‑time or person‑based payout option.

Payne framed the proposal as a personnel investment: “Our county's greatest strength isn't its roads, buildings, or equipment. It's the people who serve here every day,” she said, urging the court to “stay with your employees by proposing this adjustment.” Payne told the court the 4% COLA would increase the FY2026 budget by about $3,300,000 and said the proposed COLA would not raise salaries to the local living‑wage level but would move them closer.

Why it matters: County employees repeatedly told the court that rising housing, food and insurance costs have strained household budgets and contributed to turnover. Personnel costs are a leading driver of county service delivery, so changes to pay affect recruitment, retention and service continuity.

Key facts presented and discussed

- Proposal and budget impact: Payne proposed a 4% across‑the‑board COLA for all county employees and estimated the budgetary effect at about $3,300,000. She also recommended not implementing a merit program in FY2026 while staff work on system changes.
- Living‑wage context: Payne cited an MIT living‑wage calculation and said Brazos County’s lowest budgeted wage ($17.98/hour as presented) remained below the calculated living wage for the county (she cited $20.27/hour for Brazos County in the MIT‑based sheet used in the packet).
- Department heads’ input: Multiple department heads and elected officials — including the district attorney’s office, county courts, public defender, sheriff’s office, road & bridge, juvenile services and IT — urged approval of the COLA. Several speakers described losing staff to surrounding counties and private employers; some requested larger increases for particular public‑safety positions (a constable requested 10% for deputies while supporting a 4% COLA overall).
- Merit pay and Oracle: County HR and the county auditor described technical constraints imposed by the existing group‑and‑step salary structure and the Oracle HCM implementation. Payne and HR staff said a flat, one‑time pay approach would not work under the current group‑and‑step configuration without system reconfiguration; county auditor Katie Connor said reconfiguring Oracle to support ranges would take at least a year and a compensation study would be advisable.

Attributions and direct quotes

- “Our county's greatest strength isn't its roads, buildings, or equipment. It's the people who serve here every day. ... I respectfully ask that you stay with your employees by proposing this adjustment.” — Nina Payne, budget director.
- “I am in support of including cost of living adjustment to Brazos County employees for the fiscal year 20 26 Brazos County budget.” — excerpt read into the record from a memo by Judge David Hilburn, who was absent and sent a written statement in support.
- “For the flat rate COLA, it will not work on the group and step chart.” — Nina Payne (on technical constraints with the current pay structure).
- “It'll take a year at least to get Oracle reconfigured to do ranges.” — Katie Connor, County Auditor.

What department heads said (summary)

Speakers representing courts, law enforcement, juvenile services, public defender, county engineering and IT told the court they support a COLA to help stem turnover and improve recruitment. Common themes:
- Many employees are taking second jobs or being recruited away by neighboring counties or the private sector.
- For some front‑line positions (for example, entry‑level road and bridge flaggers and some deputy positions), market hourly rates cited by department heads were substantially above county starting pay, making recruitment and retention difficult.
- Several department heads said they preferred an across‑the‑board COLA to a selective merit program this year because a merit program under current systems would create inequities or be limited by system constraints.

Court response and next steps

- Nina Payne told the court that her working budget will include a 4% COLA proposal. She said the county\fan aim to accomplish this with a no‑new‑revenue rate, subject to final budget calculations and the formal budget adoption process.
- The court directed staff to continue work on compensation‑system options and to return information on alternatives and timeline (including possible compensation study and Oracle reconfiguration) before final budget adoption.

Speakers (selected)

- Nina Payne — Budget Director, Brazos County (presenter of COLA proposal)
- Judge David Hilburn — County Judge (memo read into record in support)
- Brian (filling in for DA Jarvis) — District Attorney’s Office representative (urged COLA to retain staff)
- Eric Caldwell — IT Director (spoke against merit this cycle, supporting COLA)
- Jeff Reeves — Constable (urged 10% for deputies; supported 4% COLA)
- Prathana (Parthena) Banerjee — County Engineer (discussed recruitment challenges and local hourly market rates)
- Katie Connor — County Auditor (discussed Oracle and compensation study timing)

Authorities

- MIT Living Wage Calculator — referenced by Payne as the basis for a living‑wage comparison in the packet.
- County group‑and‑step compensation policy and Oracle HCM configuration — referenced by HR and auditor as constraints on implementing flat or one‑time merit payouts.
- Judge David Hilburn\u000filed a memo (read into record) expressing support for a COLA and recommending delaying a merit program.

Actions

- Direction / staff action: Nina Payne stated she will include a 4% COLA in the working FY2026 budget. (Outcome: staff direction; no formal adoption in the workshop.)
- Recommendation: Staff recommended postponing implementation of a revised merit policy until county systems and processes can support a one‑time or person‑based payout. (Outcome: recommendation; no formal vote.)

Clarifying details

- Estimated budget impact of proposed 4% COLA: ~$3,300,000 (as presented by Payne).
- County full‑time benefit‑eligible employee count referenced earlier in the meeting: ~1,058 employees (used by benefits staff in related presentation).
- Living‑wage comparisons cited: MIT living‑wage figures cited in packet (Brazos County living wage cited as approximately $20.27/hour in the materials Payne referenced; county lowest budgeted wage cited as $17.98/hour in presentation).
- Oracle reconfiguration timeline: county auditor said reconfiguring Oracle for pay ranges could take at least one year; compensation study recommended to guide changes.

Searchable tags: [\"COLA\",\"employee_compensation\",\"Oracle_HCM\",\"group_and_step\",\"compensation_study\",\"Brazos_County\"]
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Brazos County Commissioners Court Budget Workshop - July 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Brazos County budget director Nina Payne proposed a 4% across‑the‑board cost‑of‑living adjustment for FY2026 at the July 15 workshop, estimating a roughly $3.3 million budget impact and recommending postponing a merit program until the county can implement a workable one‑time/person‑based payout.","taxTitle","taxId",2691,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":78,"_47":79,"_49":80,"_51":81,"_53":82,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":83,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":84,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6164221,"County staff recommends keeping TCDRS elected contribution at 17% after 2024 funding gain",0,1905000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5430052-8b3a95cc270279dd2fcb6cc5fc1ee8cf&start=1905&end=1905","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5430052-8b3a95cc270279dd2fcb6cc5fc1ee8cf/thumbnail_1905000.jpg","/articles/6164221/Brazos-County/Texas/County-staff-recommends-keeping-TCDRS-elected-contribution-at-17-after-2024-funding-gain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164221-d54770582a0f92bf2c4c2d03f5b70c8c/orig.mp4?Expires=1776692534&Signature=jXk25EhQcc3F17pK1T2c0kn40bgeF8RqlbyGTWcueuBlu80hJulIxTdbErWr6UqKppr6Xmls-Ei6bsG7maWMv~G217nl4rYBIjbl5r9iFRmNLcHMM0Ihz1K3-kIcT1~~4UFGWjwq8bO7SL~b0B5Q8aMahot2s5VooH5QU9DQPekSi5sk2mdLaO65ce-yi7WX5EawQlMcQgZ8MEqIWURAjAfgd-S4r7cuIf2axm041~Xt0T6jjj5WokScisAWqxnOIrT9fCx-QKsCBoicBbBfCtYYXP7DoZMuFRROUYze4scXIyHAw7P37K0jL4tIsStg0UfEuyAz7iVbLi5744GVXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brazos County — At the July 15 Brazos County Commissioners Court budget workshop, county staff reviewed the TCDRS (Texas County & District Retirement System) plan assessment and recommended holding the elected contribution rate at 17% for FY2026.

The presenter summarized multi‑year funding progress: according to the packet material cited during the meeting, the funded ratio rose from about 83% in 2021 to about 85.9% in 2024. Staff said the county\furrently is required to pay 14.38% of payroll under the actuarial/plan requirements and has historically chosen to pay the higher elected rate to accelerate funding.

Why it matters: contribution rates to TCDRS affect the county payroll budget and long‑term pension funding health. The county\fhoosing an elected rate above the required rate is a policy decision to increase funded status over time and reduce future volatility.

Key points presented

- Required and elected rates: staff stated the required employer contribution rate for FY2026 is 14.38% of payroll and recommended keeping the elected rate at 17%.
- Funded ratio trend: staff cited a rising funded ratio — roughly 83% (2021), 84.2% (2022), 84.9% (2023) and 85.9% (2024) — indicating incremental improvement in plan funding.

Attributions

All direct attributions in this item are to the county staff member presenting the TCDRS assessment (presenter named in the meeting packet and acknowledged by the court). The presenter summarized the plan assessment and made the recommendation to retain the current elected contribution rate.

Actions and next steps

- Recommendation: staff recommended keeping the elected contribution rate at 17% for FY2026. No formal vote occurred at the workshop; the recommendation will be reflected in the working budget and subject to adoption during formal budget hearings.

Speakers

- Jennifer Grama — county staff presenting the TCDRS assessment (identified by staff during the meeting)
- Commissioners and judge in attendance (no formal votes recorded during the presentation)

Authorities

- TCDRS (Texas County & District Retirement System) plan documents and actuarial assessment — referenced in the presentation and packet.

Clarifying details

- Required rate quoted in the presentation: 14.38% of payroll (presented by staff).
- Staff recommendation: keep elected rate at 17% for FY2026 (presented by staff).
- Funded ratio historical figures as presented: 83% (2021), 84.2% (2022), 84.9% (2023), 85.9% (2024).

Searchable tags: [\"TCDRS\",\"pension\",\"retirement\",\"Brazos_County\",\"budget\"]
","At the July 15 workshop the county reviewed its Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) plan assessment; staff reported an improving funded ratio for 2021–2024 and recommended maintaining the elected contribution rate at 17% of payroll while the statutory required rate is 14.38%.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6164226,"County consultant: keep health plan contributions steady; warns drug costs and rebate trade-offs",235,630000,865000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5430052-8b3a95cc270279dd2fcb6cc5fc1ee8cf&start=630&end=865","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5430052-8b3a95cc270279dd2fcb6cc5fc1ee8cf/thumbnail_630000.jpg","/articles/6164226/Brazos-County/Texas/County-consultant-keep-health-plan-contributions-steady-warns-drug-costs-and-rebate-trade-offs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6164226-4e365280af77343b763326f65f4df0b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1776692534&Signature=kxLwvUsQ7UE5SboHEdyNvTFeZZGgju8J1YQlfWvmORf~58MJFbz7QuaBtQK4oqVfXS53vlnEv3Xpg5~UdCZG3maBarN6B0xSgThB-Ei0KU8R6eCXt6l9Tsu~GUFo6s1MWt1yMCMNvkfZq-dCbSjVhJnIF6eN6eLbDhK3z1j6~Phc-S9aFKCIAvn~ymBYoUmET0u9KzHg2Jx7R8rs8kyDjDM8YIuQcF2UMeg3S5Q9wV0zyUpOJj9OFRyA2YaSdyq53Rzb1M9vJLAZBNpGDF68GJFHRM9uCXgvAEZdtDXSCDbCnBMsH3XGWEr7qsrl27eGP2tRHTUuxh0dl0YjTdbpsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brazos County — At a July 15 Brazos County Commissioners Court budget workshop, USI senior consultant Bobby Anderson told the court that Brazos County’s employee health plan is running favorably but faces rising national trends that could increase costs in coming years. Anderson recommended no change to the county contribution for the FY2026 budget and keeping the $75 wellness discount for employees while suggesting a small reduction in employee-paid dental fees.

Anderson said the marketplace shows growing medical and prescription trends, and that Brazos County should not expect to see the full nation‑level increase in the county’s budget: “We’re not expecting a 10% increase to your budget for Brazos County,” he said, noting the county’s current favorable claims experience.

Why it matters: health plan costs and the county contribution are a recurring line item in the budget that affect both operations and employees’ take‑home pay. Rising specialty drug costs and rebate arrangements can shift dollars between vendor fees, manufacturer rebates and stop‑loss reimbursements, creating trade‑offs for plan sponsors.

Most important facts

- Trend drivers: Anderson said medical trend is increasing (he cited roughly 7.5% projecting into the 2026 plan year) and prescription‑drug trend is “growing around 12% a year,” driven in part by specialty medications.
- Plan performance: USI reported Brazos County has run under budget in recent periods. Anderson cited a rolling‑12 scenario where the county’s budgeted cost was about $20.9 million and the net cost was about $18.0 million, leaving a reported surplus of roughly $2.87 million in that view. He also summarized that 2024 ended with a multi‑million dollar favorable result and that year‑to‑date 2025 figures through May showed the plan running well (a net cost/loss‑ratio figure of about 95% through May was reported).
- Claims and stop‑loss: Anderson reported large‑claim counts and reimbursements: in 2024 there were 21 claims at 50% of stop‑loss and 11 claims above the individual stop‑loss with reimbursements he said totaled about $4,760,000; in 2025 year‑to‑date he reported 8 claimants at 50% stop‑loss and two reimbursed claims totaling about $1,400,000.
- Per‑employee cost: Anderson said Brazos County’s per‑employee‑per‑month (PEPM) cost has increased and showed a 14.9% increase on a PEPM basis in the current data set he presented.
- Dental and premiums: The consultants recommended a modest reduction in employee‑paid dental fees after underwriting (USI suggested considering about a 10% reduction from a larger underwriting result), while recommending no change to employer medical contribution and no change to employee medical premiums for FY2026.

Rebates and plan vendor trade‑offs

Commissioners pressed USI on the county’s rebate share under the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) prescription‑drug arrangement. A commissioner asked why Brazos County receives 75% of prescription rebates through TAC instead of 100% and whether the county should move to Blue Cross and Blue Shield to capture more rebates. Anderson and other staff explained that TAC retains 25% of rebates as part of its negotiation/administration and that last year TAC produced a favorable stop‑loss renewal that helped offset costs. Anderson said the difference between receiving 50% and 75% of rebates was roughly $250,000 (as reported during the discussion).

The court asked staff to pursue TAC renewal negotiations in the next few months; Anderson said that USI, TAC and county staff could discuss pursuing improved rebate terms during renewal conversations.

Attributions and quotations

All direct quotations and attributions come from participants who spoke during the insurance presentation. Key quoted lines from the transcript:
- “We’re not expecting a 10% increase to your budget for Brazos County.” — Bobby Anderson, senior consultant, USI.
- “That can be something as we discuss the TAC renewal in the next few months that USI, ourselves, and TAC can try to negotiate.” — Bobby Anderson (on negotiating rebate terms).
- “I think that’s vitally important. No matter who we’re with, we ought to get a 100%.” — Commissioner Brown (questioning rebate split; commissioner asked that the county should pursue full rebates).

What the court was asked to do

USI and county HR recommended no change to the employer medical contribution and no change to employee medical premiums for FY2026; keep the $75 wellness incentive; and apply a slight reduction to employee dental fees (dental is fully employee‑paid). The county staff and USI agreed to pursue TAC renewal discussions and further benchmarking as part of upcoming vendor renewals.

Ongoing items and clarifications

- Projections and trend numbers were presented as estimates based on rolling‑12 data through May 2025; Anderson said June data were not yet available at the time of the workshop. The consultant presented multiple cost and surplus figures using different rolling and year‑end scenarios; those numbers were presented by the consultant and staff during the meeting and are reported here as presented.
- Several speakers noted that TAC provided a favorable stop‑loss renewal the prior year that helped offset some cost exposures, which they cited as a non‑monetary benefit of TAC participation.

Speakers

- Bobby Anderson — Senior Consultant, USI (insurance broker/consultant)
- Brenda Cost — VP, Strategic Accounts, USI (present on the account)
- Jennifer Grama — (county staff present during presentation; involved with benefits/HR)
- Rayanna (Rhianna) — (county benefits staff; present during presentation)
- Commissioner Brown — Brazos County Commissioner (questioned TAC rebates)
- Commissioner Nettles — Brazos County Commissioner (present)

Authorities

- Health Care Reform Act — referenced during an “affordability test” discussion (as stated in the presentation).
- Texas Association of Counties (TAC) rebate/stop‑loss arrangements — referenced by staff and commissioners during rebate discussion.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield — referenced in commissioner questions about alternative rebate arrangements.
- PCORI fee / Patient‑Centered Outcomes Research (referenced by a speaker when discussing small tax/fee obligations).

Actions

- Recommendation: USI and HR recommended no change to the county medical contribution and no change to employee medical premiums for FY2026; keep $75 wellness credit; consider a modest reduction in employee dental contributions. (Outcome: recommendation; no formal vote recorded in the workshop.)
- Direction: Staff and USI to open TAC renewal discussions in coming months and assess rebate negotiation options. (Direction from the court; no formal motion recorded.)

Clarifying details

- Employee headcount used in the presentation: reported as about 1,058 full‑time benefit‑eligible employees.
- Reported rolling‑12 budget and net cost example: budget ~$20,893,000; net cost ~$18,000,021; surplus ~$2,870,000 (as presented by consultant).
- Reported large‑claim reimbursements: 2024 reimbursed ≈ $4,760,000; 2025 year‑to‑date reimbursed ≈ $1,400,000 (as presented).
- Projected national health‑care cost trend mentioned by consultant: ~10% (consultant noted Brazos County not expected to reach that level in presented scenarios).

Community relevance and tags

Geographies: Brazos County, Texas
Funding sources: employer plan budget, employee contributions, TAC rebate/administration arrangements
Impact groups: county employees (benefit‑eligible staff), dependents, county taxpayers

Searchable tags: [\"health_insurance\",\"employee_benefits\",\"TAC\",\"USI\",\"stop_loss\",\"prescription_drugs\",\"dental_benefits\",\"Brazos_County\"]
","At a July 15 workshop, USI consultants briefed Brazos County commissioners on FY2026 medical, prescription and dental plan performance and recommended no change to county contribution while flagging rising drug costs, recent stop‑loss reimbursements and a trade‑off in rebates from the Texas Association of Counties (TAC).","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County budget official proposes 4% COLA; department heads broadly urge approval, flag Oracle/step‑chart limits on merit pay

County staff recommends keeping TCDRS elected contribution at 17% after 2024 funding gain

County consultant: keep health plan contributions steady; warns drug costs and rebate trade-offs