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Waco is tightening its belt by hiking health insurance premiums for city employees by 7% and dropping coverage for weight-loss drugs. It’s a tough move aimed at balancing the books, but it definitely hits the wallets of the people who keep the city running.
At a glance
Rising — being discussed more frequently. 4 mentions in the last 30 days, 1 the 60 before, 1 the 90 before that.
Employees will see a 15% increase in their monthly insurance premiums starting in 2027.
The county health plan remains solvent and continues to offer robust coverage.
County employees will have less take-home pay due to higher insurance costs.
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The Waco City Council approved contracts Tuesday with the city's police and fire unions, which outline pay and benefits accounting for almost half of next year's $213 million general fund.
The county is facing rising healthcare costs and high-cost claims, leading to a 15% premium hike for employees to keep the plan solvent.
Woodway's proposed budget will cover 2% staff raises across the board and redirect revenue to a long-term street fund the city used to balance the general fund last year.
The county is proposing a tax rate increase to cover rising costs for state-mandated services like the jail and indigent defense. Residents are pushing back, asking the county to cut spending instead of raising taxes.
Woodway leaders are considering a property tax rate hike of 2.78 cents for the upcoming budget year after taxable home values slid about 3.9%.
"Like many organizations, we’re having to make difficult decisions to keep our health plan sustainable for everyone," Waco's HR director said, noting pay raises under consideration would outpace the premiums.
The county is hiring a part-time death investigator to help handle the high volume of inquests, which have increased significantly over the last five years.
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