County staff proposes 4.6% compensation package and recommends approving medical renewal terms

Dusty Sash, HR director, reviewed the county's total compensation philosophy and recommended a package to address structure movement, merit and benefits. Sash said the HR team had negotiated the medical renewal down from an initial 13.2% proposal to 9.5% and explained that the five-year average placed the county ahead of peers on benefits value, though medical costs remain a driver.

"Their first offer for renewal was 13.2 and Lockton has negotiated that to 9.5," Sash said, describing negotiations with carriers and brokers. She asked for direction on several items: (a) funding a 1.5% portion of structure movement now (part of a 1.93% structure adjustment), (b) a 3.1% merit budget (noting pay-for-performance distribution), and (c) approval for a retirement-contribution adjustment from 10% to 10.25% as a step toward the board's longer-term goal.

The presentation included additional recommendations: use of dental reserves to cover a modest dental premium increase, a proposal to increase the one-time award cap to $7,500, and changes to vacation carryover tiers estimated to cost about $216,000 in 2027. Commissioners and staff discussed trade-offs and the budget timeline; several commissioners expressed support for bringing the package to the Executive Budget Committee to attempt to fit it into the upcoming budget.

Next steps: HR will provide the Executive Budget Committee the recommended package and supporting market data; final budget adoption and any formal votes will follow the county budget calendar.