Bonner County to review wellness and benefits admin lines; staff recommends moving program fees into HR budget

Bonner County commissioners discussed employee-benefit administration costs, wellness program fees and related processing expenses as part of the general-fund review.

Staff said the county pays a monthly administrative fee for an employee wellness program (roughly $200 per registered employee month; May invoice was shown as $402); that fee is currently in a general fund line. Commissioners suggested the wellness administrative fee should be budgeted alongside health‑insurance premiums or within HR’s budget so benefits-related costs are consolidated. Staff noted the county’s health plan premiums sit in a self-funded insurance fund and that administrative fees for wellness are an administrative cost that is not department‑specific; staff recommended leaving a placeholder line until the board finalizes benefit-package decisions.

Staff also said some one‑time administrative costs—ACA reporting and 1099 processing—were paid to outside vendors (the example cited included roughly $2,000 for ACA reporting and micro‑processing fees for 1099s) while the county transitions to in‑house processing via Tyler self‑service. Commissioners and staff agreed to keep a modest contingency in the current line (staff suggested $500) until Tyler training is completed and external filings can be brought in‑house.

Ending: Staff will flag the wellness and benefits admin lines for HR, propose consolidation into HR if appropriate, and keep small placeholder amounts to cover filings until Tyler self‑service can assume those tasks; no formal vote was held.