Polk County staff propose employee suggestion pilot: 10% reward up to $5,000; unions ask for representation

Taylor Van de Kroll, assistant to the Polk County Board of Supervisors, presented a proposal for an employee suggestion pilot program that would pay non-supervisory employees a cash award equal to 10% of first-year net savings for formally adopted suggestions, capped at $5,000.

Van de Kroll told the board the program would use an online submission form, gather suggested savings and department contacts, and route submissions to a small program review board. Initial reports to the review board would anonymize submissions and list suggested savings to focus review on feasibility and dollar impact. If a suggestion is formally adopted, the presenting employee or team would receive a monetary award, a certificate and recognition at a board meeting; adopted ideas would also be featured in Polk Future, the county’s employee newsletter.

"A program created to encourage employees to develop and submit ideas, which will reduce cost and increase efficiency within an organization," Van de Kroll said when describing the proposal and its goals. The presentation included examples from other states: Iowa’s program language (as summarized in the handout) awards 10% of the first year’s net savings with a minimum savings threshold for payout; Washington and Nebraska examples were cited for tiered awards and accessible online submission forms; California’s program was noted for having produced large aggregate savings historically.

Van de Kroll said the pilot would exclude employees in managerial or supervisory status from receiving the monetary incentive though anyone could submit ideas. The presenter recommended a monthly reporting cadence to the suggestion program board and quarterly public recognition. The proposed launch date for the pilot is July 1; the presenter said the board could consider a resolution at the next meeting to allow IT and communications staff time to implement an online submission process.

Board members asked several implementation questions. One supervisor asked whether the award would be based on forecasted savings or actual realized savings; Van de Kroll said some programs wait to verify actual first-year savings before issuing a payout, and that process would need clarification for Polk County. Board members also raised questions about mid-year starts and how departments would validate proposed savings. Treasurer Mary (County Treasurer) asked whether the department affected by a suggestion would be consulted; Van de Kroll said departments and subject-matter experts would be involved to assess feasibility and that elected officials would retain decision authority over implementation.

AFSCME Local 1868 requested representation on the suggestion program board. Dominic, speaking on behalf of AFSCME, asked that the union have a voting or nonvoting seat to ensure labor’s perspective on operational impacts. The board indicated it would consider including union representation when drafting a resolution.

Less-urgent details: Van de Kroll cited other states’ programs and examples of tiered awards, and recommended a $5,000 cap for Polk County’s pilot based on comparisons with other jurisdictions and county size.