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The county commissioners get together in a monthly work session every second Wednesday to devote an entire informal discussion to budgeting and capital needs.  No action is taken, but if there’s sufficient information and consensus the item goes to a regular County Board business agenda.  (Regular business meetings are the first and third Wednesdays at night.) 

The main budgetary issue looming in last week’s workshop was the disputed HHS and government center professionals contract, which was supposed to run two years, now through 2027.  

Contested contract issues have brought about a strike situation. 

And, by law, the commissioners are not allowed to “negotiate” in public outside of talks with the union officials, so last week the Board skimmed the surface.  The statutes do require actual negotiation sessions to be recorded with audio made available two years after settlement.

The Teamsters Local 320 has asked for an additional three percent adjustment hike in pay, along with the agreed upon two-year 13 percent increase in the contract. 

And recently the members notified county administration that the rank and file wish to switch to a Teamsters healthcare policy as of 2027.  The contract requires eight months’ notice and union alerts are dated late April.

 Teamsters 320 requests the county agree to fund this new healthcare policy at the same monthly level as current contract,  but, there is an unknown amount needed for membership in a Health Savings Account and what is termed, a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) that the Teamsters contract also provides for.  Anything remaining in an HSA traditionally went back into the comprehensive account held by “the employer.”  But if the union owns the plan the County did not have an answer as to where any unused portion goes. If the county continues using tax dollars to fund any HSA/HRA account,  it is  important to track.

The county administration also does not have the “amount’ identified in the union demands for premiums, which will impact the budget.   Another unknown is the number of affected employees, and if migration to the Teamsters’ plan will adversely impact the price (overall pool) for existing county healthcare costs.

There have been difficulties in getting any direct information over the past couple weeks, from Teamsters’ officials, the Board was advised. 

Human Resources and County Administration staff explained that on its face— the union plan deductible appears lower than the existing coverage but the out-of- pocket poses the potential to be much more expensive than existing terms.  

“The union plan is great if you are age 23 and healthy,” the Board was informed by staff.

The members could still opt out of the union plan but there has been no mediation sessions scheduled and the unfair labor practices complaints are not set for any hearings yet, so the County Board will await the counter-offer to the last county contract wording from the Teamsters.

In another budget matter:  the Board was told that the state should be awarding an additional $148,000 in County Program Aid next year, according to an estimate from the MN House Research division.  The county is slated for $4,018,856 in 2027 aid.  In 2026 the CPA was $3,870,736.  CPA is based on a formula that considers local “need” and property tax liability. The amount is tied to the number of people receiving nutrition assistance benefits, number of people over age 65, serious crime rates and other factors.

In another budget issue:

Costs came in for the air handling equipment needed for radio tower bases at Nessel Township and Taylors Falls.  The cost is going to be around $35,000 and has been budgeted. 

There are five towers total and the county is staggering  projects over a few years.  The equipment supervisors Mike Parker and Dennis Wilton presented the quote from Honeywell.  The equipment to be replaced is 15 years old.

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