Grand Forks County commissioners spent a substantial portion of the meeting reviewing retirement-plan mechanics and employer funding for New Dakota Public Retirement System (NDPRS) plans, including the defined-contribution DC25 option and the public-safety plan.

A presenter from the county explained mandatory employee contributions and the county’s current voluntary employer pickups and matching practices. “Those two plans, no matter what, the employee is required to contribute 7%,” the presenter said of the main plans, then described variable employer percentages across plan classes and a county practice of picking up additional employee shares in several plan tiers.

Why it matters: the county’s choice about how much of employee retirement contributions to absorb affects payroll costs and employee take-home pay; some commissioners described the current mix of pickups and matches as difficult to follow and asked staff to investigate legal and budgetary implications.

County staff said the county currently picks up additional percentage points above the mandatory employer share for the main and main-20 plans, and that the DC25 plan’s total employer contribution depends on whether an employee elects optional matches (up to 3%) and on whether the county continues to absorb portions of employee shares. Staff warned that state rules require 60 days’ written notice for plan changes through NDPRS.

Commissioners also asked staff to analyze incentives new hires face under DC25—how the 1%/2%/3% match structure interacts with existing county pickups—and requested that the county’s legislative committee research whether the structure is appropriate and whether the county could adjust pickups without violating state rules.

On public-safety retirement, staff noted a mandated employer increase of 1.23 percentage points effective Jan. 1, 2026 (from the 2025 required level), which county officials said is not discretionary. Commissioners asked for the pension cost estimate tied to the proposed 2.4% COLA and any step increases included in the 2026 personnel budget so they could see combined payroll and retirement impacts.

No formal changes were adopted. Commissioners directed staff to provide clearer graphics and numeric comparisons that show the net employer cost under alternative pickup/match scenarios and to bring draft communications for employees that explain DC25 enrollment windows and the county’s recommended election.

Speakers in this discussion included the county’s pension presenter (identified in the record as Andy Purse) and commissioners who questioned plan mechanics; quotes are attributed to those speakers listed below.