|
Insurance and
legislative committee member Paul Gleason made the motion to
contract with R.W. Garrett Agency of Lincoln for insurance coverage
with a $284 premium for the Health Maintenance Organization and $296
for the Point of Service policy. It was the same motion he made at
Thursday's workshop session minus a $300 cap on premiums.
On Thursday Gleason
explained that in the future the cap would require employees to pay
the difference if premiums exceeded $300 per month. Tuesday he said
he dropped the cap from the motion because the legal ramifications
need further study. Chairman Dale Voyles said a cap might commit
future boards to pay up to the limit, which is $16 more for the HMO
and $4 more for the POS than the new policies. Whether the current
board can make such a commitment is open to question.
Ruth Freeman, Health
Department employee representing AFSCME Local 1277, said after the
meeting that she was pleased the cap was dropped from the motion.
"If there was a cap and next year it went above, then we would have
to pay," she explained. "I didn't want the cap."
Coverage is with
Health Alliance of Champaign. The motion to renew the insurance
contract passed 10-1, with board member Mitch Brown absent. Before
the vote Terry Werth explained his opposition: "I don't like no-bid
contracts." He recalled that last year's board said it would bid the
contract out in 2003. Werth called the difference between this
contract and a potential lower bid "money down the drain" that could
have been spent on a commerce park or other use.
The contract raises
monthly premiums 15 percent, compared with an industry trend of 18
percent, according to R.W. Garrett agent Sara Schwantz. The county
has insured its employees through Health Alliance for two years. In
2001-02 claims exceeded premiums by $170,497, and Health Alliance
raised premiums 23 percent for the year beginning May 1, 2002. So
far this year claims are $22,457 under premiums, resulting in the
lower increase for 2003-04. Schwantz explained that the surplus is
for this year alone and does not offset the previous deficit.
Currently 140
employees have the HMO and five the PPO. For all 145 employees the
new contract will cost the county $64,500 more over the course of
the year.
Following the advice
of State's Attorney Tim Huyett, the board postponed an expected vote
on banning sales of ephedra-containing products to people under age
21 and requiring businesses to store the products behind the
counter. Huyett cited two legal problems with the ordinance as
passed by the Lincoln City Council on Monday -- the age specified
and the fines imposed.
Assistant State's
Attorney Jonathan Wright researched the issues. "We think it can't
go above 18," Huyett said of the age restriction. "We're definitely
of the opinion you can't say 21."
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Huyett further
stated, "We can't find authority to impose penal sanctions" (fines)
as in the city ordinance. He expects to have problems ironed out and
the law rewritten by the April board meeting.
The delay impedes the
effort to put Lincoln and Logan County on record as among the first
in the nation to forbid the sale of ephedra to minors. The issue
surfaced here last fall when Lincoln Community High School football
player Sean Riggins died from heart failure after taking Yellow
Jackets, an over-the-counter supplement containing ephedra.
In other business the
board appointed Vickie Loafman animal control warden and Maurice
Tierney deputy animal control warden. "Both Vickie and Maurice are
doing a great job out there," said animal control committee member
Terry Werth. The two attended the meeting and modeled their new
uniforms -- forest green polo shirts with yellow lettering. Hats
have also been purchased for animal control employees. Committee
member John Stewart praised board chair Dale Voyles for donating $70
plus the cost of 10 more hats.
Animal control is
planning two outreach programs for schools. Beginning in May a
show-and-tell program will teach grade school children to care for
pets. A co-op class for high school students in 2003-04 is also
under discussion, but liability issues must first be resolved.
The board authorized
Treasurer Mary Bruns to purchase a new software package for $3,900
and a duplex printer, including installation and three-year
warranty, for $6,649. Both bills are to be paid from the indemnity
fund, which consists of money collected from tax sales on unpaid
property. A previous county resolution allows this use of the money.
The software will
support newly required GASB accounting. The Governmental Accounting
Standards Board rule, formulated in June 1999, asks state and local
governments to record and depreciate furniture, equipment and other
property in county buildings. The board set $5,000 as the minimum
value for items Bruns will track. The Logan County Health and
Highway departments have their own systems with independently set
thresholds.
The board also voted
to support House Bill 259, which gives counties the right to raise
circuit clerk's fees. Downstate counties have not had a fee increase
since 1976, according to Circuit Clerk Carla Bender. The bill sets
minimums and maximums for all fees and allows each board to choose
exact numbers within the ranges.
Bender said that if the bill passes,
Logan County can generate an extra $50,000 to $60,000 without
imposing maximum fees. The bill would affect people convicted of
criminal offenses and those filing civil cases. It would not change
traffic ticket fines. HB 259 has passed the Illinois House and is now
before the Senate.
[Lynn
Spellman]
|
