Human resources outlines retention work; health insurance rise partially offset by pro-share funds
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Summary
Human resources summarized recruitment and retention efforts, reported improved turnover and vacancy metrics, and said medical and dental premiums rose — the board recently agreed to use pro-share dollars and other funding to offset an increase in health premiums; HR will continue policy and benefits work ahead of final budget.
Human resources and risk management staff presented staffing and benefits information that county administrators said will feed into the FY26 budget.
HR reported the county’s average employee tenure is about seven years and the average age is 47; turnover fell from 21.6% to 18.4% year over year. Exit‑interview themes included pay, professional development and communication. The county also moved nonrepresented employees to a paid-time-off system and expanded supervisor training. HR said 95% of positions are funded countywide at this time and highlighted ongoing recruitment efforts.
On benefits, HR acknowledged a rise in medical premiums (a recent 15% increase was discussed earlier with the board). Staff said the board agreed to offset part of that increase using pro‑share funds and a mix of funding so general-fund impacts are limited. Dental premiums had a 25% rate increase and the vendor proposed adding adult orthodontia at no extra cost. HR said the self-insurance reserve is positive at about $2.6 million and the property self‑insurance reserve is around $800,000.
Risk management noted workers’ compensation, liability claims and legal costs influence allocations across departments; HR said it did not request new positions for FY26 but proposed continued investments in retention and leadership development.
Why it matters: benefits and retention drive personnel costs and service continuity; recommended offsets and use of pro‑share funds affect how much of the benefit cost falls to employees vs. county funds.
Discussion vs. action: the board instructed staff to continue modeling the use of pro‑share reserves to reduce general-fund impacts and asked HR for a leadership-pipeline outline to present as an agenda item.