Employee benefits committee presents proposals on sick‑leave pool, retiree coverage, retirement draw and match increase

Commissioner Cook, speaking for the employee benefits committee, presented a package of benefit proposals to the Hardin County Commissioners Court on July 30 and asked the court to consider them in coming meetings. No formal action was taken at the special session.

Cook said the committee’s ideas came largely from county employees and reviewed several measures the group recommended. The committee recommended increasing the county contribution to dependent health coverage by $125 per month per dependent (already included in the filed FY2026 proposed budget). Cook said, “So I just wanna make it known that your voices are heard as employees,” to describe committee outreach.

The committee proposed raising the county’s retiree health contribution to 100% for employees with 30 or more years of continuous service; the committee said two current retirees qualify and estimated the annual additional cost at about $3,600 per retiree (roughly $7,200 total for the two retirees identified). The proposal would raise the county share for those…