County staff ask whether to keep $1,000 employee referral bonus for FY2027

Tess Pipes, speaking for the record, told the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on April 2 that the county’s employee-referral contract ended March 16 and staff are managing referrals manually while the county decides next steps. "Currently, we are offering $250 after 30 days of employment, and then $750 after that employee meets the 6 months of employment," Pipes said, describing the existing $1,000 total bonus structure.

Why it matters: Commissioners are preparing FY2027 budget guidance and must decide whether to keep the $1,000 incentive, adjust the schedule or consider a different approach. Staff said the change to a higher bonus and a simpler process appears to have increased referrals, while prior software was cumbersome and likely reduced participation.

Pipes said historical spending on the referral program was modest: $8,250 in 2025 and $2,250 so far in 2026; 2024 included a mix of a $300 and then later $1,000 bonus after the program changed. She told the board that, because the contract ended, employees currently record referrals on a spreadsheet and HR monitors hires and entitlement dates manually.

Board members asked whether the $1,000 amount meaningfully affected hiring. Pipes said she believes the higher bonus and the simplified process made referrals more likely: employees ‘‘really struggled with using the application’’ and fewer employees accepted invitations or logged in under the previous system.

Rather than vote on a specific change, the board asked staff to calculate an expected FY2027 cost based on a three‑year average of referral activity and return with budget numbers. A motion to keep the bonus at $1,000 was proposed and later withdrawn, and no formal change to the program was approved at the meeting.

What’s next: HR will prepare cost projections and a recommendation for inclusion in the FY2027 budget process; commissioners will consider the item during budget deliberations.