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Board approves merger of Community Development and Economic Development, personnel changes and 2026 benefits package
Summary
The board approved staff changes to merge Clayton County Community Development and Economic Development, authorized new job classifications with net general‑fund savings, and approved the county’s 2026 medical benefits plan and open-enrollment parameters.
The Clayton County Board of Commissioners approved a set of personnel-classification changes to merge the county’s Community Development and Economic Development departments and approved the county’s benefits package for the 2026 plan year for active employees.
Human Resources presented the personnel classification proposal tied to a proposed department merger. The proposal would delete the director of community development position and add a new planning and zoning chief administrator and a building permits chief administrator for the general fund, producing an estimated general‑fund savings of $116,980 absent other budget changes. For the hotel/motel fund, the requested changes add a community and economic development director and other economic development positions, which the HR presentation estimated would produce a net cost to the hotel/motel fund of about $354,000.
Commissioner discussion and timing: Commissioners asked for clarity on timing; county leadership said the merger and classification changes would take effect the following day. HR presented the grade-and-step compensation figures for the new classifications and the anticipated fund impacts.
Benefits approval: The board also approved the county’s medical benefits strategy for benefits year 2026 (open enrollment targeted for late September or early October), including continuing a self‑funded approach with UMR/UnitedHealthcare and Quantum Health as a navigation/third‑party administrator. HR said enhancements include a carrier‑funded $200,000 wellness budget and a premium cap not to exceed 8 percent over the 2026 rates; staff presented an estimated county annual premium for active employees.
Why this matters: Consolidating Community Development and Economic Development alters departmental reporting and staffing, will change how planning and economic-development work is resourced, and produces identifiable budget effects across funds. Benefits decisions set the county’s employee health‑insurance approach and projected premium impact for the coming year.
Next steps: Personnel classification and budget adjustments will be implemented per civil‑service and budget procedures, and HR will begin open‑enrollment communications to employees. Staff said the effective date for the merger classification changes is immediate (effective tomorrow) and that budget amendments will be made by the CFO as needed.
Ending: The board adopted the personnel and benefits measures by voice vote and asked staff to communicate next steps to affected employees and to return to the board with any required budget amendments.
