COEUR d'ALENE - The Kootenai County commissioners say they might reconsider proposed benefits changes that have garnered employees' concern.

"We're talking about if there are any adjustments that we can make," said Commissioner Jai Nelson on Thursday.

Some department officials like Sheriff Rocky Watson say employees are worried about compensation tweaks in the proposed 2011-12 budget, which the commissioners will discuss at a hearing on Tuesday night.

Many say proposed raises will be canceled out by heightened deductibles and increased coverage payments for spouses, Watson said.

"For the non-sworn personnel, the raises they're going to get, they will have a net loss for the addition they have to pay for medical benefits," he said.

He has given the commissioners 64 letters and e-mails from employees on the issue, he added.

Clerk Cliff Hayes said he has heard similar complaints from employees.

"When you're talking about health care benefits, they have significantly changed the deductibles, and the employees are going to pay a lot more than 3 percent," Hayes said.

Prosecutor Barry McHugh said he expects some of his employees will be commenting at the budget hearing.

"There are some people that that's going to have a pretty significant negative financial impact upon," McHugh said.

The proposed budget printed last month has $750,000 in compensation changes, including a 3 percent wage increase for sworn personnel.

Other employees will receive a $25 COLA increase, if they aren't new hires and haven't had a raise in the past two years. Merit raises will also be given to some employees.

The commissioners have also proposed raising health coverage deductibles from $400/$800 (individual/family) to $1,500/$3,000.

Employees can half those deductibles by participating in a wellness program.

Individuals would also have to pay more to cover a spouse, which the county deemed as the most expensive individuals to insure.

The cost of children's coverage would drop.

Nelson said the changes were necessary to balance the increasing cost to maintain benefits.

"The county has absorbed the increase for the prior four years," she said, adding that last year that totaled over $400,000.

The commissioners are speaking with their consultant about taking another look at benefits, she said, in light of employees' concerns.

"Not increasing the budget, but maybe shifting some of the out-of-pocket," Nelson said.

Commissioner Dan Green said the commissioners can only shift costs and benefits around, though.

Reducing out-of-pocket costs, for instance, would also mean decreasing other benefits.

"Different people have different concerns. One size does not fit all," Green said. "Some people want benefits to be the same, 'Don't give me a raise.' Others say, 'Give me a raise, but get rid of vision and dental.' With 700-plus employees, it's difficult to appease everybody."

Everything doesn't have to be decided at Tuesday's 6 p.m. hearing at the Administration Building, Nelson said.

"We can continue the budget hearing up to a week," she pointed out. "So will it all be said and done on Tuesday evening? It's not certain."