Brazos County Commissioners Court Workshop Session - June 23, 2026

The Brazos County Commissioners Court held a workshop session on June 23, 2026, focusing primarily on the FY 26-27 county budget with detailed discussions on the Texas County and District Retirement System (TCDRS) and county employee insurance premiums. The TCDRS representative presented the retirement plan's funding status, highlighting a strong 87.1% funding level and a recommended elected contribution rate of 17% for 2027, which the court members generally supported to maintain. The session also included an extensive review of health insurance costs and claims, with projections indicating an 11.25% increase in premiums for 2027 driven by large claims and rising drug costs, particularly for GLP-1 medications. Commissioners discussed options for sharing premium increases between the county and employees, including a hybrid approach with a 5% employee increase and the remainder covered by the county. The court also considered a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for employees to offset rising health costs, with requests for further analysis on the total fiscal impact including retirement and payroll contributions. No formal votes were recorded during the session, but there was consensus on continuing the current retirement funding rate and ongoing evaluation of insurance premium structures and employee compensation adjustments.