The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 7 voted to introduce and waive reading of an ordinance and adopt a resolution of intention to amend the county’s contract with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) so that designated employee groups pay 1% of the employer share of retirement contributions.

Monica Fugate, director of Support Services, told supervisors the provision implements Government Code section 20516 procedures for employer/employee cost-sharing. Fugate said the change reflects earlier labor agreements reached in bargaining between the county and several represented units (for example, a Teamsters unit and professional units) and that a prior effort in 2024 failed because CalPERS rejected a technical error in submitted documents.

Fugate said the change would be prospective; employees will not be charged retroactively for the period during which the county was processing contract paperwork. CalPERS requires a secret-ballot election of the affected members; Fugate said county staff anticipated the ballots would be mailed this week and a two-week vote period would follow. She added that if a majority of voting members reject the cost-share, the county would need to return to bargain with the affected units.

Supervisor Jesse Long asked whether implementation would be retroactive; Fugate confirmed the change would be prospective and that the ballots are being distributed quickly so members can vote. Fugate told supervisors the 1% contribution the employees will pick up can be applied by the county toward unfunded pension liabilities.

The board voted to adopt the resolution of intention and to introduce and waive the ordinance; the vote was recorded as unanimous on the item.

Why this matters: The action starts a formal process required by CalPERS for a change in employer/employee cost-sharing. It does not automatically change payroll deductions — a majority of affected employees must cast a favorable secret-ballot vote before the county may implement the change. County staff said the earliest anticipated effective date would be Dec. 28, 2025, tied to pay-period timing and CalPERS acceptance of documents.

The county’s next step is to complete the CalPERS submission and to administer the required secret-ballot election of affected bargaining-unit members. If the vote fails, the county may need to reopen negotiations with represented units.