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Board approves $60 annual gym-reimbursement pilot for employees without nearby county facilities
Summary
Trustees authorized a pilot reimbursement of $60 per year for county employees whose work location is at least 15 miles from a county-owned gym; the payment will be taxable and require a receipt for substantiation.
The Employee Benefit Trust Board approved a pilot program to reimburse eligible county employees $60 per year for personal gym memberships if their work location is 15 or more miles from a county-owned fitness facility.
Juliana Demers, payroll director, explained the pilot is aimed at employees in locations without county gym facilities (for example, Lake Havasu and Fort Mojave). Employees must submit a paid receipt for a personal gym membership; HR will verify eligibility and provide the payroll list for a taxable reimbursement. "Any time we have a cash-based benefit, regardless of how small the dollar amount, it's always taxable to the employee," a finance staff member said. The reimbursement will be issued through payroll and appear as a taxable fringe benefit on employees' W-2s.
The board approved the proposal as a pilot with a $60 annual reimbursement limited to employee-only memberships; staff said the amount was chosen as approximately one-third of a common $180 annual consumer membership and is intended to be budget-neutral for the wellness line while providing an equitable alternative to county facilities. The motion passed with an affirmative vote and was recorded as approved.
