Walsh County switches employee assistance services to 'The Village' starting Jan. 1

HR presented a proposal to contract with The Village for EAP services and described the contract as a full-service package that includes counseling access, critical-incident response and two hours of on-site or tailored training per year. The quoted base cost was $2,000 annually subject to a per-FTE surcharge if the county’s employee count exceeded 60; HR said the likely annual cost would be slightly above $2,000 after confirming the full-time-equivalent count.

Commissioners asked how The Village would interact with the county’s existing NDFIT coverage and whether employees could still access NDFIT; HR responded that NDFIT remains available but that The Village historically provided easier local access and post-employment access for former employees for a limited period. Commissioners also asked about confidentiality and utilization reporting; HR said The Village provides aggregated utilization reports without names and takes confidentiality seriously.

A motion to hire The Village for EAP services beginning Jan. 1, 2026 was made, seconded and the commission approved the motion by roll-call (all recorded votes 'Yes'). HR will schedule orientation sessions for staff in January.