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Commissioners tentatively agree to recommend 3% across-the-board raises while debating steps, COLA and health plan changes
Summary
Board members debated whether to budget a 3% step plus COLA or a uniform COLA to avoid compression; staff warned health-plan design changes (dropping HRA, moving to NDPERS) could save up to ~$800k but would increase employee out-of-pocket exposure.
The commission debated alternatives for employee compensation in the 2026 preliminary budget. Several commissioners supported budgeting a 3% across-the-board increase so the county could "go high" and adjust down later if needed; one commissioner summarized the approach as "start high, and then we continue to cut things where we see that they can be cut." Finance staff noted the worksheets show a 3% step plus COLA that would total a little over $1 million.
Board members also discussed health-plan design changes and the county's HRA. Staff warned that moving to a high-deductible plan without an HSA could expose employees to large out-of-pocket costs (a deductible around $6,000 was noted), and that switching to NDPERS could eliminate an approximately $800,000 HRA expense but might harm retention. A county administrator-style staff member said the county could test plan designs over the next weeks and, if the budget holds unused money, shift it as needed. The board asked staff to present specific plan options and the fiscal impact before the formal 4:00 meeting.
Why it matters: compensation decisions directly affect employees, retention, and the size of the levy; insurance redesign could produce large savings but would change benefits and employee cost exposure. Staff will bring plan-design options and costings back to the board.
