9/29/26 Grand Forks County Board of Commissioners Special Meeting

At the Grand Forks County Board of Commissioners special meeting on September 29, 2026, commissioners unanimously approved moving county employee medical coverage to the NDPERS PO/Basic plan effective January 1, 2027, after the current Blue Cross Blue Shield plan quoted a 29.43% increase and market alternatives were reportedly more costly. The proposed family-plan contribution split was 85% county and 15% employee; the transcript does not clearly capture a vote on that item. Commissioners unanimously voted to earmark any health-benefit savings for health insurance and keep funding at the current approved level through 2027, anticipating possible plan changes in July.

The board unanimously approved approximately $17,119.67 to repair a coroner’s office truck, with staff to confirm the engine warranty and report back. It also approved Project Ultra Task Order 4, a package valued at just over $5.6 million that incorporates unused Task Order 3 funds and includes 75 flights between Grand Sky and locations around North Dakota; commissioners separately authorized the project representative to sign any necessary modifications the following day. For the coroner’s agreement with Altru Health System, which documents an existing deceased-person transportation fee practice for accreditation purposes, a motion to approve was made and seconded, but the transcript does not record the vote outcome.