Commissioners stick with current health insurance provider

Wayne County will continue with its current employee health insurance provider for another year.

The county’s commissioners voted 3-0 on June 10 to renew its plan with One80. Cathy Dunn of Dunn & Associates, the county’s Columbus-based third-party administrator, had presented commissioners May 27 with their options after the current plan expires June 30.

Commissioners opted to raise the county’s maximum expenditure per individual to $175,000 and receive a lower premium, quoted at $1,014,000. Kim Clauser, the county’s human resources director, said it’s not expected that enough plan participants will exceed the former $150,000 maximum to offset the premium savings.

Commissioner Jeff Plasterer said the county has crafted a good county-funded health insurance plan for its employees, who are by-and-large satisfied with the service received from Dunn & Associates.

“I’m very pleased with where we’re at,” Plasterer said. “We’re very solvent.”

Commissioner Brad Dwenger said he thinks the new plan, which increases the $970,000 premium by 4.5%, is a win for the county.

The vote only renews the plan. Other decisions, such as employee contributions and maximum out-of-pocket expenditures, will be decided later this summer. Any of those changes would take effect Jan. 1 after the county’s fall enrollment period.

Commissioners also heard a presentation ahead of renewing the county’s property and casualty insurance July 1.

Andy Brown and Charlie Vaught of Gregory & Appel in Indianapolis discussed raising some deductibles to lower premium costs by at least $56,000.

Brown said negotiations were ongoing with the current carrier, Travelers. He said few companies still are willing to insure counties because of jail liability but credited Wayne County with putting itself in a good position to receive favorable quotes. Commissioners will receive final numbers prior to their June 17 meeting.

The premium for July 1, 2025, to June 30 is about $880,000, which was a 5.49% increase from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

Other issues

• Matthew Cain, the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency director, said the county’s emergency communications project that included two new towers is on schedule for changeover to an 800 megahertz radio system for volunteer firefighters near the end of July.
• Brandon Sanders, the county engineer, said bridge projects at Richmond Avenue and Bridge Avenue are progressing on schedule to be completed by the end of October, and work should begin on a Gravel Pit Road bridge in early August.
• Mike Sharp, the highway department supervisor, said gravel will have the under-construction Wayne County Fairgrounds parking lot looking presentable for the 4-H Fair. 
• At the Economic Development Corp. of Wayne County’s request, commissioners agreed to send a letter of support to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s state director for rural development requesting a favorable result for an application requesting funds for the new water tower at Gateway Industrial Park.
• Commissioners reappointed Kyle Clark, John Catey and Plasterer to the county’s redevelopment commission.
• Smarrelli General Contractor of Richmond was the only bidder for the driveway repair and security fence on the courthouse’s west side. The bid was taken under advisement.
• Commissioners voted 3-0 to permit events such as Bingo, 50-50 drawings and raffles by those renting space at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.
• A $52.42 overage in the commissioners dues and subscriptions budget line item will be paid from the commissioners’ contingency line item.
• A resolution declaring the current health department building on South Fifth Street as having no governmental value was approved by commissioners. That clears the way for engaging appraisers and selling the building once the health department has moved to its former location on East Main Street that’s been vacated by Well Care.

Drainage board

Acting as the county’s drainage board, commissioners provided drainage approval for Dot Foods to build tractor and trailer parking at its Gateway Industrial Park location.

According to the plans presented, Dot will build 32 tractor parking spaces and 72 trailer spaces with the ability to add an additional 10 trailer spaces at a later date. Surveyor Gordon Moore said that 30-inch pipes would route runoff water from the new parking lot that’s southwest of Dot’s building to existing retention basins that have sufficient capacity to accommodate the additional water.