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Forsyth County to appropriate $4.5 million from general fund to shore up employee health-benefits internal service fund
Summary
County staff presented an amendment to FY25 to appropriate $4,500,000 from the general fund into the employee health benefits internal service fund to cover rising claims costs; the amendment also clarifies accounting lines.
Lee Plunkett and county finance staff briefed commissioners on a proposed amendment to the FY25 budget ordinance to appropriate $4,500,000 from the general fund into the employee health benefits internal service fund.
Terry Goodman, the county’s CFO (referenced in the briefing), and Shannon Hutchins, the county’s HR director, previously presented plan design changes and a funding shortfall in that internal service fund that staff attributed to health-claim costs outpacing budget estimates. At the May 5 briefing Plunkett said the $4.5 million transfer would shore up the internal service fund for the current fiscal year and that staff reorganized several accounting line items (pharmacy rebate revenue, stop-loss premium expense and stop-loss reimbursement) to improve transparency in year-end operating analysis.
Plunkett said the primary cause of the deficit was rising claim costs and noted the appropriation is an accounting step to move budgeted general-fund dollars into the internal-service fund; commissioners asked clarifying questions about the long‑term budget implications and whether plan changes adopted in prior weeks would reduce future shortfalls.
Ending: Staff said the amendment is intended to stabilize the health benefits fund for FY25; commissioners signaled they would review further trend and outcome data as part of the regular budget process.
