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Holmes County approves $7,674.66 contingency payment to cover tax collector office health benefits
Summary
The Holmes County Board of County Commissioners voted to cover $7,674.66 from county contingency to pay county-paid health insurance benefits for the Holmes County Tax Collector office for the remaining two months of the 2024–25 budget year and discussed a larger FY 2025–26 request.
The Holmes County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve a contingency payment of $7,674.66 to cover county-paid health insurance benefits for the Holmes County Tax Collector’s office for the final two months of the 2024–25 budget year.
Harry B. Bell III, who identified himself in the meeting transcript as the Holmes County tax collector, told commissioners he has had an ongoing partnership with the county in which the county funds the county-paid benefit amount for tax collector office employees. Bell said the arrangement has existed for the past four budget years and helps recruit and retain staff. He asked the board to fund an additional $7,674.66 to cover the two remaining months of the 2024–25 year and requested that the board restore a recurring line in the 2025–26 county budget to fund county-paid benefits for tax-collector staff going forward.
Commissioners discussed prior budgeting for four employees in 2024–25 and noted the office had been at five employees for part of the year, which generated the additional cost. Bell said his FY 2025–26 request would total about $53,716 (for a full year with five employees), but that number could change if staff coverage or insurance enrollment changed.
Commissioner discussion included confirmation that the county-paid benefit funding has been a multi-year practice and that the county’s general fund is tight. One commissioner moved to take the $7,674.66 from county contingency to honor the arrangement for the current budget year; another commissioner seconded the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote recorded as “yes.”
Board members said the larger FY 2025–26 funding request should be handled at the upcoming budget hearing; the county will consider the $53,716 figure during the budget process and return to the board for a final determination.
Ending: The contingency transfer will be processed so the tax collector’s office insurance costs for the current fiscal-year-end period are paid; the recurring FY 2025–26 request will be considered during the county’s budget hearings and may require a formal budget allocation.
