County board approves paid leave insurance agreement, talks public communications

Kirsten Wisniewski | November 28, 2025

In December, the board will finalize the 2026 budget and levy increase. As the end of the year nears, they are also taking time to address other county business items, including solidifying the county policy on paid leave.

Paid leave

Beginning on Jan. 1, employers across the state will be required to provide paid family and medical leave for qualifying employees. Employees with medical conditions recognized by a physician can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave. Employees can also take leave for family reasons, like caring for a relative, for 12 weeks. While employees will be able to use both medical and family leave within the same year, the covered time off will be capped at 20 weeks.

At the Nov. 25 meeting the board approved agreements with the three bargaining units that represent county employees. In all three agreements the county will pay 50% of the annual premiums for the paid leave program, and the other half will come from employee paychecks.

Under the paid leave laws, employers can decide to use the state-run program or a private insurer. County HR Director Allison Plummer told WTIP the county opted not to use the state-run paid leave insurance option, and instead contract with MetLife, which offered a lower premium than the state plan.

MetLife will collect a 0.79% premium from the county based on payroll totals. Plummer said that annually this will come to about $97,000, though she pointed out that half of that, or about $48,500, will come from employee paychecks, per the agreement to contribute 50% of the premium.

Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma added that this is an anticipated cost, and has already been factored into the 2026 budget.

Public communications role

At the Nov. 25 meeting the board also approved the hiring of a new Public Information Coordinator. Todd Ford recently retired from the role, and he will be succeeded by Danielle Hefferan. While some county department heads are actively doing public communications for their department, Trebil-Halbersma said that having one person to coordinate that communication was important to supporting transparency within the government. Plummer added that having a coordinator increases consistency for the public.

Commissioner compensation

Each year the board discusses their own compensation as part of the budgeting discussion. In previous years there has been robust discussion about how much commissioners should be paid, and how to approach any potential salary increases. While the board did not make any decisions on Nov. 25, the topic was introduced, along with the suggestion that the consumer price index, which the county has used in past years to help determine cost of living adjustment rates, be considered again as a guide for salary adjustment.

The question of compensation rates will need to be revisited and acted on before the budget is finalized in December.

WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke with Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma and HR Director Allison Plummer. Audio of that interview is below.