Todd County commissioners on Sept. 16 adopted a tentative labor agreement with the Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) records coordinators and administrative specialists unit and approved related contract language allowing an alternative private paid family medical leave (PFML) plan. The board also approved selecting MetLife as the county’s PFML vendor for 2026–2027, citing lower projected premiums and a two‑year rate guarantee.

Why it matters: The tentative agreement sets a new 11‑step salary schedule effective in January (employees to be placed on a step that provides an increase plus one additional step), establishes cost‑of‑living adjustments of 2.5% in 2025, 3.5% in 2026 and 3% in 2027, and limits severance for employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025. The PFML vendor choice affects premium rates and claims processing for county employees and the county payroll budget.

County administration told the board MetLife’s quoted premium rate for 2026 is 0.79% compared with the state program’s 8.88% and said MetLife offered faster processing and improved customer service. Administration also presented memoranda of agreement (MOAs) to add alternative private‑plan language to existing bargaining agreements, and the board approved the MOAs for the bargaining units that had signed. One unit (LELS jailer/dispatcher) had not yet returned a signed MOA at the time of the meeting but had indicated it intended to sign.

Board action and context: Commissioners voted to adopt the tentative agreement with the LELS records coordinators/administrative specialists unit and to approve MetLife as the PFML vendor with a two‑year rate guarantee. Commissioners discussed other counties’ choices and noted many counties are choosing private vendors because of implementation concerns with the state program. The board recorded a voice vote approving both the tentative agreement and the vendor selection.

Limits and next steps: The board approved the MOA text that preserves a 50/50 employer–employee premium split and authorized administration to continue contract work; a later administrative action will implement the vendor enrollment and payroll deductions. The county will monitor final signings of MOAs by remaining bargaining units before final vendor enrollment.