# 10-13-2026 Cole County Commission Meeting

The Cole County Commission meeting on October 13, 2026, included approval of a resolution advancing the 2026 Cole County hazard mitigation plan process, which is being conducted through Mid-MO RPC; the completed plan was not yet available. The commission also approved acceptance of a $91,000 FY2025 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant for direct-source exhaust removal, with acceptance required in FEMA’s portal by October 21. No bids or contracts were presented. The commission also approved payable items pending review.

The main discussion concerned 2027 employee health benefits and the county’s declining self-insurance fund. The commission approved moving the stop-loss threshold from $85,000 to $100,000, changing the pharmacy benefit manager from Smith RX to Arrow RX (projected savings of about $100,000), and adopting proposed deductible and co-pay changes. It also approved switching supplemental worksite benefits from AFLAC to Sun Life, and adopted revised employee contribution rates, with one commissioner voting against the rates. The county will continue covering 50% of health-plan costs, while the other share affects department budgets; HSA contributions from the county remain $80 per month. Commissioners discussed employee education and incentives to encourage use of the HSA and county health services, but took no additional action on those ideas.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Healthcare, Public Safety
**Topics:** Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 13, 2026

### Sources
- [10-13-2026 Cole County Commission Meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhH1gFI_lrc) - ColeCountyMo