Public employers carry extra layers.
Cities, special districts and agencies hire the same kinds of people private employers do. What differs is who decides, what is already promised and which programs you can join.
- Decisions made in public by a council, commission or board on a fixed budget calendar
- Possible eligibility for PEBB, with its own terms for joining and leaving
- Bargaining agreements that can fix contributions or plan levels
- Purchasing rules that may shape how plans or vendors are chosen
- Retiree commitments, including LEOFF obligations, that need specialists
- Crews on rotating shifts and on-call schedules, plus seasonal parks and recreation staff
Each layer adds a deadline or a constraint before plan design even starts, so the order matters: the decision calendar first, existing commitments second, options third.
Illustrative: a 60-employee water and sewer district with field crews on rotating on-call schedules, a dozen office staff, one bargaining unit and a board that adopts the budget each fall. We would start with the bargaining agreement and the district's PEBB eligibility, build one comparison the board can absorb in a few minutes, and schedule crew sessions at shift change.
Four levers for public employers.
Put PEBB and the market on the same page.
Being eligible to apply isn't a decision.
HCA lists Tribal governments, counties, municipalities and other political subdivisions among the employer groups that can apply for PEBB. Joining takes an application and an agreement, and eligibility doesn't bring automatic enrollment or an open door to switch programs later. Line up PEBB's plan rules, premiums and service areas, the administrative work it shifts to you and its exit terms against market options, so the board sees the whole commitment.
Model inside the bargaining agreement.
Start from what's already promised.
If a collective bargaining agreement fixes contributions or plan levels, the market comparison has to work within it. Bring the agreement to the first meeting, and separate the choices that need bargaining, counsel or a board vote from the ones staff can make.
Measure seasonal and on-call staff on purpose.
Parks crews and on-call workers need a written method.
An agency that averaged 50 or more full-time employees plus FTEs last year is an applicable large employer, and full-time means 130 hours of service a month. New variable-hour or seasonal staff can be measured over 3 to 12 months, and those averaging 30 or more hours a week are treated as full-time for a stability period of at least six months and no shorter than the measurement period. The employee's share of the lowest-cost self-only plan that provides minimum value can't exceed 9.96% for 2026 plan years; test it with our affordability calculator, and see the ACA compliance checklist.
Educate every shift, not just the office.
Crews, stations and front counters don't share a lunch hour.
Plan sessions at shift change or crew meetings, then one-on-one calls and live video for anyone who can't attend; our employee education page lists the formats. Elections close in Employee Navigator, and we're in person around Puget Sound and on phone and video statewide.
Work backward from the vote, not the renewal date.
Map the decision path.
Who approves benefits, on which meeting dates, and whether a purchasing rule applies to choosing plans or vendors. That calendar sets every other deadline.
Collect what's already committed.
Bargaining agreements, retiree promises, current PEBB status or market contracts, and renewal dates. Send them with the employee census.
Write the comparison like a staff report.
Options, annual cost to the agency, cost per paycheck, network and coverage differences, and what each vote commits you to. Include dental and vision, plus life and disability, with how long new hires wait and what dependents pay. Mark anything that needs counsel, bargaining or the board.
Decide, then communicate.
Once the vote is in, schedule employee sessions across shifts and stations before the enrollment window opens.
Administer all year.
We train your administrator to enter hires and terminations, handle carrier changes, and coordinate a third-party COBRA administrator, which may charge vendor fees.
Where we help, and where your counsel leads.
What we handle.
The market comparison, the PEBB-versus-market analysis, employee education across shifts, enrollment in Employee Navigator, carrier changes and coordination with your COBRA administrator.
What your attorney and the program's administrators handle.
Legal readings of your obligations, bargaining duties, retiree promises and LEOFF questions, purchasing compliance and PEBB program rules. We don't give legal or tax advice, but we can introduce industry contacts for those questions.
What finance directors and HR managers ask us.
If we join PEBB, can we leave later?
Read the agreement and HCA's rules before assuming so. Eligibility to join doesn't come with an unrestricted right to change programs, so the exit terms belong in any comparison you take to the board.
Do we need a formal procurement to choose a broker?
That depends on your agency's purchasing rules, and your counsel or purchasing officer should answer it. We can work inside the process you run and provide the information it asks for.
Our seasonal staff come back every summer. Are they new hires each year?
For ACA measurement, a returning employee with 13 or more consecutive weeks without an hour of service can be treated as new. An optional rule of parity also allows a fresh start after a break of four weeks or more when the break is longer than the person's prior period of employment. Have payroll or your ACA adviser confirm before the first summer crew starts.
Can employees pay their premium share before tax?
A written Section 125 cafeteria plan can let employees pay their share of group premiums pre-tax. The IRS publishes cafeteria plan FAQs for government entities; have your finance team or tax adviser confirm the setup.
Official references.
Washington Health Care Authority: PEBB for employer groups. IRS: identifying full-time employees and cafeteria plan FAQs for government entities. General information, not legal or tax advice.
Start with your budget calendar.
Send the decision dates and what's already committed, and we'll build a comparison your board can act on. You don't need a current plan to start.