Glacier County approves $3,000 one-time premium pay for eligible employees, renews health insurance with UnitedHealthcare

Glacier County commissioners voted May 7 to accept the county Compensation Board's recommendation to provide a one-time premium payment of $3,000 to eligible permanent county employees, drawing on remaining LATCF (Local and Tribal Consistency Fund) resources dating to the pandemic-era ARPA allocations. The board also approved renewing the county's employee health insurance with UnitedHealthcare and authorized the county human resources director to sign the renewal.

The compensation board presented eligibility rules that require employees to be permanent (not probationary or temporary), work at least 30 hours per week and be employed by Glacier County as of May 11, 2026, the effective date for the payment. Human Resources estimated roughly 77 employees would qualify. The compensation board's recommendation offered three payment options ($2,000, $2,500, $3,000); the board moved to recommend the $3,000 amount and approved that recommendation before the commissioners reviewed it.

Michael Kitson, the county human resources representative leading the presentation, said the LATCF funds include roughly $300,000 budgeted for wages and about $30,000 for employer contributions; estimates put the cost of a $3,000 payment near the high end at about $222,000, leaving a remainder to return to the general fund. Kitson said the LATCF guidance allows premium pay under the fund's criteria.

Commissioners and compensation-board members debated fairness across departments and whether law-enforcement staff should receive higher amounts. One commissioner noted safety risks faced by deputies and detention staff; others urged consistent, even payments across departments to avoid employee dissension. Kitson said longer-term pay adjustments could still be discussed during the June compensation/ COLA process if the board prefers to address wages on an ongoing basis rather than with a one-time premium.

On insurance, Kitson said negotiations reduced the county's original carrier bid. UnitedHealthcare offered a negotiated renewal that county staff recommended over a Blue Cross Blue Shield proposal that would have been significantly more expensive. The commissioners approved paying $1,174.42 per covered employee, a change the HR team said represented about a 16—–17% increase from prior costs but was substantially lower than the alternative bid.

The commissioners voted to accept the compensation board's $3,000 recommendation, with the motion carried by voice vote; they also approved the UnitedHealthcare renewal and authorized Kitson to sign the agreement.

Next steps: HR will finalize eligibility lists and execute the one-time payments the county said it will aim to distribute after May 11, and staff will complete the insurance renewal paperwork as authorized by the board.

"This is a one-time payment aimed at retention and recruitment," Kitson said during the meeting, describing the LATCF guidance and the county's recommendations. "If the compensation board comes back with a desire to increase deputies' base wages in June, we'll consider that in the long-term process."