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Bob Baker, of Group Alternatives, an insurance consultant company out of Illinois, presented the Kosciusko County commissioners Tuesday with preliminary information regarding the renewal of life and medical insurance for county employees.
Current cost for life insurance is $10,500 per year for everyone. The reinsurance for medical, which covers everything more than $50,000, includes a $132,000 per year premium. The current cap is $1.44 million, making the total liability for medical approximately $1.5 million.
Baker said they anticipate a 23 percent increase on the county's cap based on past expenses, causing the cost to the county for medical expenses to rise from $1.44 million to $1.77 million.
Baker suggested the county let him go back to the current insurance carrier for the county, Highmark, and see if they want to make any adjustments. If the company doesn't, Baker said, he could look at an offer from Prudential and see if they will accept all county employees sight-unseen. If they don't, he said, he can look at other insurance companies' offers. A final insurance offer then will be recommended to the county in June.
The commissioners approved Baker's recommendation.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Opened the bids for a new wheel loader for the county highway department to replace a 1974 model. Bids received included: Southeastern Equipment Co., $146,406, minus an allowed $6,500 trade-in deduction; McDonald Machinery Co., $142,850, minus a $6,000 allowed trade-in deduction; and McCallister, $161,228.93, minus an $8,500 trade-in.
Highway superintendent and engineer Rob Ladson will review the bids and give the commissioners a recommendation at a later meeting.
• Approved an ordinance repealing the stop sign at the railroad crossing on CR 200S. There now are lights and gates up at the crossing.
• Approved the request by Loren Stackhouse to vacate a 280-foot-long portion of a 40-foot-wide right of way on Ray Drive in the old Wray Homestead Subdivision. The right of way is on the southeast side of Hoffman Lake, adjacent to lots 88-91.
There were no remonstrators.
• Continued a rezoning request by Phillip Smith, Tippecanoe Township, to rezone property from commercial to agricultural. The land is on the south side of CR 500N and 550 feet west of Ind. 13.
Kosciusko County Commissioners are chairman Ron Truex, middle district; Avis Gunter, southern district; and Brad Jackson, northern district. Their next meeting will be May 5 at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse, Warsaw.
