County employee raises alarm over sudden health premium payroll deduction

A Clackamas County employee said a temporary health-insurance premium deduction hitting some paychecks is causing financial strain and asked the Board of County Commissioners to avoid similar actions in the future.

"Our premium for members covered under certain union contracts would increase from $88.46 to $303.20 a month," Natalie Lutmer, who identified herself as a Clackamas County employee from Happy Valley, told the board during public communication. Lutmer said the larger deduction — an additional $214.75 per month — was communicated to employees by an email on Dec. 30 and would remain until contract agreements are reached, at which point her paycheck would revert to the prior amount.

Lutmer said she was not addressing bargaining strategy but sought to "personalize" the impact of the deduction on county families and employees who interact daily with commissioners and county facilities. "$214 is significant," she told the board, and said the timing and short notice felt punitive to her and colleagues.

Chair Roberts and other commissioners acknowledged the comment period and later said the board values staff input; no formal action or motion to change payroll policy was taken during the meeting. Commissioners indicated staff and counsel would handle operational and legal questions about payroll and collective-bargaining processes.

The transcript does not record further staff explanation of the payroll mechanics, which employees were covered, or a county timeline for restoring the prior deduction rate, so those details are listed as not specified in this report.