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Coweta County weighs $800,000 health-insurance shortfall as commissioners agree to advertise 4.817 mills
Summary
County staff told commissioners preliminary 2026 insurance renewals could leave an $800,000 gap; staff proposed plan-design changes and an employee clinic while finance staff said absorbing the shortfall would raise the advertised M&O rate to 4.817 mills. Commissioners directed staff to advertise that rate for public notice and return with detailed proposals.
County staff told the Coweta County Board of Commissioners on July 22 that preliminary broker estimates for the 2026 health-insurance renewal indicate the county could be roughly $800,000 short of the funding currently in the proposed budget. Kelly Mickle, a county staff member who presented the benefits overview, said the county has not materially changed plan design or employee premium shares in about a decade and is exploring options to close the gap, including modest plan-design changes and premium tiers.
Mickle said the county is pursuing an employee health clinic as part of the budget. Staff reported the planned clinic contract would cost about $600,000 per year and that savings from a clinic would likely take two to three years to materialize. Staff also said interest income on the county’s invested American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds is being considered for initial clinic renovations and start-up costs.
Finance staff told commissioners that if the board elects to absorb the full $800,000 shortfall the proposed maintenance-and-operations (M&O) millage rate to advertise would rise from the staff-recommended 4.74 mills to 4.817 mills. Staff emphasized that advertising a rate for public notice is an administrative step required before the public hearings and that the board may adopt a rate at or below what is advertised but cannot adopt a higher rate than what is published for the hearing.
Commissioners pressed staff on options to reduce claims costs and on employee impacts, asking about HRA versus HSA plan differences, pharmacy cost exposure for employees, and whether the broker provides comparisons of peer public-sector employer cost shares. Several commissioners urged caution about shifting large costs onto employees in one year; others favored absorbing the shortfall for one year and pursuing a multi-year cost-sharing plan. Staff said they will return with specific proposals and that some plan changes could be phased in over multiple years.
On the staff request for direction before the advertisement deadline, the board reached consensus to advertise the proposed M&O rate reflecting absorption of the $800,000 shortfall (4.817 mills) for the public notice, while directing staff to continue refining plan-design change options and clinic proposals for a later vote. The county’s public notice will also include special service-district levies as staff recommended.
What’s next: staff will supply more specific plan-design proposals, premium-tier options, and communications for employee and public outreach; commissioners will consider final adoption of millage and any benefit changes during subsequent public hearings and budget meetings.
