County board approves $408,113 levy to fund 2026 salary adjustments amid debate over shifting health premiums

Chippewa County supervisors voted to include $408,113 in the 2026 proposed county budget to fund salary schedule adjustments, approving Resolution 27-25 after an hour-long discussion about pay, market position and forthcoming employee health insurance premiums.

The resolution, approved Aug. 12 by the county board, directs levy funding to cover “salary schedule adjustments effective 01/01/2026 and 07/01/2026,” including proposed across-the-board wage increases for January and July and changes informed by a recent market analysis.

Why it matters: The raise package and timing were framed by staff as a response to a market analysis that shows the county lags roughly 5 percent behind comparable employers. Supervisors repeatedly pressed staff for clearer numbers on how much employees will pay for health insurance after the county begins charging premiums; several warned that lower-paid workers could face greater net losses if raises do not offset increased premiums.

County staff presented the market analysis and the recommended package. Staff member Andy summarized the recommendation and schedule history and described the consultant data sources. “We are it's a little different than maybe you've seen in the past that we are proposing a salary increase the first of the year rather than just in July,” Andy said during the presentation, explaining the administration’s timeline and the link to benefit changes.

The resolution text and the staff presentation say the county would propose a 2 percent across-the-board wage adjustment effective Jan. 1, 2026, and up to 1.5 percent on July 1, 2026, plus a 1 percent adjustment to the salary schedule control point each date. Staff identified Cottingham Butler (market consultant) and a lead analyst, Jenna Bidwell, as data sources and said the county’s overall market index stands at about 95 percent of market.

Supervisors raised multiple concerns. Supervisor Silitz said he felt it was “almost irresponsible” to vote without having the health-insurance premium split finalized and urged postponing until both items could be considered together. Supervisor Henick asked for the total premium cost and how premium increases would be allocated; Tony (staff member) told the board the current family premium the county currently pays is $2,102 per month for 2025 and that the employer–employee split for 2026 had not yet been set. Multiple supervisors suggested alternatives such as a flat dollar payment for all employees rather than percentage increases.

Finance staff and administration said a portion of the wage increase impact is covered by non-levy funding for positions paid with state or program dollars; staff explained that some positions are 100 percent state-funded and any change in state funding could require eliminating positions. The resolution language and staff repeated that new positions or wage commitments would be brought into the final balanced budget.

After discussion the board voted; the clerk announced the tally as 13 ayes and 5 nays and the resolution passed. The board chair said the approved amount will be included in the 2026 proposed county budget for use in implementing the schedule changes.

The board also heard that staff will return next month with final health-insurance premium and employee-share proposals; administrators said they expect movement in enrollments and plan choices that could change the net impact to employees once plan elections are known. The county’s human-resources team also told employees they are holding multiple informational sessions and will provide additional detail when the insurance plan split is finalized.

The board’s action sets the levy amount for budgeting but leaves specific premium splits and final budget decisions to the upcoming budget process where additional adjustments could be made.