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Knox County HR details benefits fixes, wellness rules and new hire
Summary
Knox County’s HR director told commissioners June 23 that county staff and SECO have begun addressing communication problems around supplemental benefits, reported industry renewal trends near 9%, outlined wellness incentives and privacy protections, and announced an HR generalist start date of July 13.
Courtney Low, Knox County’s human resources director, told the Board of Commissioners on June 23 that staff met with SECO representatives from County Benefits Plus to address ongoing communication problems around supplemental plans such as AFLAC. Low said those conversations should improve benefit‑related communications to employees.
Low said quarterly reporting from SECO included an industry renewal‑trend figure of about 9 percent, but the county will not know its specific renewal number until July 31. She reviewed recent year‑to‑year changes, noting a range from 0 percent in some years to 15.6 percent in 2025.
The HR director reminded commissioners that the county’s wellness program year ends June 30 and resumes July 1. To qualify for wellness incentives, employees must complete an annual wellness visit, a blood draw that includes cholesterol, and an online health assessment through Anthem’s portal (Sydney). "None of that data is shared with the employer," Low said, adding that the carrier retains the health assessment results and that the information can help employees discuss preventive care with providers.
Low described training opportunities through the County Loss Control Coordinators Association for staff who handle property loss, fleet management and safety, and said new team member Robin will attend upcoming sessions in Palm Beach, Florida. She also reviewed recruiting activity: county job postings have narrowed to a single page, open roles include engineering and public assistance positions, and staff route applicants from job sites like Indeed to the county application portal.
On staffing counts, Low said the county has conducted one interview so far this month, onboarded eight employees and offboarded eight (a net neutral month), and is monitoring 14 active Family and Medical Leave Act cases; she explained the five‑day window for determining FMLA eligibility after receiving medical certification.
Low announced the HR generalist hire is complete (an internal transfer) and will begin on July 13 to allow roughly three weeks of overlap and training with current staff. She said the new hire will help process timekeeping and payroll support and back up benefit‑coordination duties.
The HR update concluded with Low answering commissioners’ procedural questions about the wellness program and staffing timelines. The meeting moved on to the board’s three resolutions after the report.
