Fayette County board clears First Financial to offer free employee "work life and financial wellness" program

Pam Crozier of First Financial told Fayette County board members on the meeting floor that the bank can provide a free "work life and financial wellness" program to county employees and requested the board's approval to introduce it countywide.

Crozier, who identified herself as a work-life specialist at First Financial, said the two-part program offers financial-literacy classes — budgeting, credit, identity-theft prevention, homeownership and retirement planning — and employer-linked account benefits including a premier checking account with no minimum balance, half-price checks, free cashier's checks and money orders, and lending-rate discounts. "It's a free program, that anyone can take advantage of," Crozier said. She also said First Financial offers a $500 credit toward closing costs for home purchases and has provided a $200 bonus to some new account holders in other counties where the program was launched.

Board members asked how the program would be administered. Crozier said First Financial handles on-site enrollment at county offices, bringing brief seminars or breakfast events and completing account openings in under five minutes with an employee's driver's license. She said the bank establishes a county-specific code that links benefits to employees' accounts and that those benefits would remain available to employees after they leave county employment. "We establish a code that's out there for Fayette County," she said, describing setup and coordination with the county auditor or HR staff.

A board member asked whether the program imposes any cost on the county; Crozier replied there is no charge to the county to offer the program. Crozier said First Financial has implemented the program in Jefferson, Ripley, Franklin and Switzerland counties and that the bank had opened nearly 20 accounts in those counties in 2025.

Following the presentation, a board member identified in the transcript as Tracy moved to approve allowing First Financial to introduce the program; the motion was seconded by David. The chair read language authorizing First Financial to introduce the work life and financial wellness program to county employees, the board voted by voice and the motion passed. Crozier and staff were instructed to confirm employee counts for setup; Crozier reported the county payroll includes about 200 employees.

The board did not attach conditions or specify a contract in the meeting record; no formal vendor contract or funding allocation was described in the transcript.