County budget hit by high health claims

Red Willow County commissioners have scheduled a public hearing Monday, June 20, at 9:30 a.m., to amend a county budget that's been hit by unusually high health insurance claims.

"It's just one of those things," said Commission Chairman Earl McNutt, during a commissioners' meeting Monday morning. "There's no way to anticipate."

During the public hearing, commissioners will discuss transferring $405,000 from reinsurance (reimbursement), motor vehicle taxes, Homestead and interest to cover salaries, insurance claims and accounts payable -- estimated at $305,000 to $308,000 -- in June.

"We have the money," said county treasurer Marleen Garcia, "It's just not in the budget."

Commissioners budgeted $555,000 for insurance, and have been wracked by claims totaling (thus far) $834,314, for a difference of $279,314.

Liability insurance and county board (the commissioners) costs have also been overspent. Commissioners budgeted $68,000 for liability insurance and have spent $78,844. County board costs were budgeted at $10,000; expenditures thus far have totaled $14,988.

McNutt said, "We're always trying to be good stewards of the tax payers' money. It's just stayed right on our heels ... " He continued, "With these health insurance claims ... there was just no way to estimate."

In other action, commissioners:

* Discussed with elected officials the need for more ports and hubs to connect the county's offices with the state's high-speed Internet.

The cost to Red Willow County will be the labor to pull the wires to each port/hub location for units added to the system. County clerk Pauletta Gerver said the state requires that every computer have anti-virus protection.

Commissioners authorized maintenance supervisor Greg Holthus to contact local contractors concerning existing and expanding conduit capabilities.

* And county employees met with Steve Murray of the U. S. Department of Labor to discuss compliance with the federal government's Fair Labor Standards Act and to conduct a wage and hour review.

* Briefly discussed McCook City Administrator John Bingham's response to McNutt's request to present information gathered by the county's jail task force to city council members at the council's June 6 meeting. Bingham told McNutt that a meeting will be scheduled after council members examine the jail study.