Douglas County employees will see a 2 percent increase in their health insurance premiums beginning June 1.

The Douglas County Commission approved the increase Wednesday as part of the county’s 2014-15 health insurance plan. County workers currently pay $42 per month for an individual coverage plan, which is about 7 percent of the total premium; a family plan costs employees about $291, which is about 18 percent of the total premium.

Those figures will rise to $42.86 and $297.14 respectively. Premium rates were not increased last year.

Among other additions, the health plan will now include a new Employee Assistance Plan, which will provide services to county employees for a range of issues, including counseling, financial and legal assistance.

The commissioners also agreed to lower the years of employment requirement for workers seeking retiree health care to five years. Currently, employees must work for the county for 10 years.

“This looks good to me,” Commissioner Jim Flory, third district, said of the health plan.

In other business, the commission:

• Set a “guaranteed maximum price” for the construction of the new Public Works facility on East 25th Street. Commissioners set the price at $12.5 million; however this does not include costs associated with equipment, furniture and other fees. The total cost for the project is expected reach $14.1 million. A guaranteed price cannot yet be placed on the entire project because the county is seeking a waiver for a $265,000 development fee from the city and must shave off other costs to get under budget.

• Agreed to a nonbinding agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation to sell more than four acres of land near the planned Public Works facility site for $201,200. Sarah Plinsky, assistant county administrator, said KDOT will use the land to build an operations facility. A public hearing on the land transaction is scheduled for May 14.