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Commissioners approve budget transfers, TCDRS retirement plan and a 14.7% county health-insurance rate increase
Summary
Fisher County approved multiple budget line transfers and amendments — including sheriff overtime and vehicle reallocation — ratified the TCDRS retirement plan for 2027, and approved a county health insurance renewal with an overall 14.74% premium increase.
Fisher County commissioners approved several budget amendments and routine transfers, ratified the county retirement plan for 2027, and accepted a proposed county health-insurance renewal that will raise employer/employee premiums.
A finance presenter reviewed reconciled county funds and year-to-date figures, then described several budget amendments presented during the meeting. Among the items: a requested movement of roughly $50,000 in remaining ad valorem tax proceeds into a commissioner's cash account, multiple amendments for the sheriff's office (including an administrative-assistant payment and overtime lines), line transfers for law enforcement center communications and software maintenance, and a reallocation of $35,220 from equipment to vehicles to cover newly ordered vehicles.
Sheriff Gibson reported the office had answered 342 calls since the last meeting and described custody numbers; he also described recently hired deputies and candidates in the hiring pipeline intended to reduce overtime pressure. When one participant suggested growing overtime "looks like corruption," Sheriff Gibson responded, "that's not corruption." The board discussed staffing, current overtime, and how hiring approvals and TCOLE paperwork affect when new deputies can begin duty.
The board unanimously approved the listed budget line transfers and amendments by voice vote.
On retirement benefits, staff presented the Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) plan for 2027, reporting a funded ratio of 107.4%, a slight decrease in the group return rate (down 0.10% to 4.43%) and that the system is currently overfunded. The county approved the TCDRS plan for 2027 by voice vote.
On health coverage, the county insurance presenter told the board the overall insurance rates will rise 14.74% for 2027—with medical increasing 8.70% and dental about 13%—raising an estimate of one full-time employee's monthly insurance cost from $1,004.44 to about $1,127.20. The presenter said the change would increase the county’s monthly premium obligations by roughly $9,490 and an annualized figure "about 113,9 897.20" as presented in the packet; staff attributed increases to pool claims and general inflation in medical costs. The board approved the insurance plan and rate renewal by voice vote.
All actions were approved with motions and voice votes; the transcript records the approvals but does not include a recorded roll-call tally of individual yea/nay votes.
