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Commissioners debate restoring health benefits; amendment reinstates flex benefits but not full COLA
Summary
Board members debated whether to restore a 35% health benefit and a cost-of-living increase for county commissioners; after discussion and numerical adjustments, the board adopted an amendment that reinstated flex benefits but did not include the full COLA.
Commissioners debated a proposal to restore previously removed commissioner benefits and a modest cost-of-living adjustment during a lengthy discussion on the commissioners' office budget.
One commissioner argued the 2011 compensation change left commissioners with lower benefits and that restoring a 35% health benefit plus a COLA (figures cited in the discussion totaled about $34,110) would help attract future candidates and reflect the increased workload. The proponent suggested offsetting the cost by restructuring facilities staffing and by not contributing $40,000 to the courthouse reserve this year.
Other commissioners and members of the board pushed back that restoring benefits without fuller public discussion looked self-serving; they said the budget committee should be consulted and that the public deserve transparency before reserve changes. Staff and commissioners worked through alternative numbers: options that retained flex benefits but deferred the COLA, and staff (Mark) provided recalculations (examples discussed included totals of $461,823 and a revised $458,717).
An amended motion to set the commissioners' budget to the lower figure that reinstated flex benefits but not the cost-of-living increase was made and seconded; commissioners voted on the amendment by voice vote. The transcript does not show a roll-call tally in the public record.
