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Committee hears plan to realign $486,725 for paid family leave under state law
Summary
County finance staff presented Ordinance 25-150 to move $486,725 from a benefits contingency into a paid family and medical leave fund to comply with the Healthy Delaware Families Act; officials said the county will initially fund claims while the state administers the program.
The New Castle County Administrative Finance Committee on Dec. 9 heard a presentation on Ordinance 25-150, which would realign $486,725 from the county's benefits contingency to a contingency for paid family and medical leave to comply with the Healthy Delaware Families Act.
Dave Del Grama, the county's chief financial officer, told the committee the state will administer the program at no cost to the county but the county must show funding set aside to pay claims as they arise. Del Grama said the county had $2,250,000 budgeted in a health benefit contingency and is creating a separate contingency for paid-family-leave claims through June 30, 2026, so there is no immediate impact on the current operating budget.
When asked whether the employer will shoulder the cost or share it with employees, Del Grama said the county will cover costs initially and that a final decision on cost-sharing has not been made. He added that state law permits employers to share costs with employees and that a typical arrangement would be about 0.4% on each side if shared. "At this time, it's coming out of the operating budget of the county," Del Grama said.
Committee members did not record a final vote on the ordinance during the meeting; the item was presented and discussed and will move through the council's normal legislative process.
The committee heard no public comment on the ordinance during the meeting.
