Council weighs countywide raises and insurance uncertainty ahead of final budget

Council members used the budget hearing to revisit countywide compensation strategy for 2026. County finance staff told the council they had included placeholders for payroll‑related costs — PERF (retirement), Social Security/Medicare and group insurance — while final premium rates remain unknown. Staff proposed modest contingencies (a 5% placeholder on Social Security/Medicare and a mid‑range for PERF) and noted any large health‑insurance increase would require retooling plan designs, employee contributions, or cuts elsewhere. Multiple department heads argued that certain workforces — notably highway truck drivers and EMS paramedics — compete against neighboring employers and need targeted raises to retain staff; commissioners noted those departments are funded from different sources (gas‑tax or EMS tax), but council members raised concerns about equity across county departments. The council instructed HR to gather regional wage data for the departments that requested higher pay and asked budget staff to present several scenarios for insurance premium increases and associated offsets (higher employee contributions, benefit redesigns or programmatic cuts). Nut graf: With health‑insurance rates still pending, the council opted for cautious contingency amounts while requesting department‑level market data to make targeted pay decisions for operationally critical roles. Ending: Staff will return with updated insurance rates, wage comparisons and scenario analyses at the next budget work session; the council scheduled a follow‑up discussion and a second budget reading on Oct. 23–24.