The Custer County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Tuesday morning, November 25. All members of the Board were present for the meeting.
Supervisors Hear NACO Insurance Plan, Vote to Change Providers
The primary item of business before the Supervisors was a continuation of the county employee health insurance program discussion from last meeting. In Tuesday’s meeting, representatives from the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) provided details regarding the Blue Cross / Blue Shield plan their organization provides.
NACO Marketing Representative Judd Allen and Deputy Director Candice Meredith discussed the benefits of the NACO insurance program. One of the primary highlights of the NACO Plan is that the policies of 56 counties in Nebraska are pooled together. This allows NACO to avoid large jumps in premiums year over year. In the last three years, the NACO plan has risen about 5% each year.
As with the presentation by Benefit Management, Meredith encouraged the use of a 3rd-party processor for claims, relieving the Clerk’s office of that role. Meredith also indicated that NACO would be able to provide both PPO and Health Savings Plan (HSA) options to county employees. An HSA allows employees to save money pre-tax to spend on healthcare costs.
Following the presentation by NACO, Dustin Will and Corey Carpenter of Benefit Management provided a follow-up presentation and answered questions from the Board.
District 2 Supervisor Tammy Kleeb questioned the service network provided under the Medica insurance plan provided by Benefit Management. The topic of whether both local and non-local providers would be covered under the Medica plan was brought up a number of times by various participants in the discussion.
Will assured those assembled that the plan presented provided a national network, allowing participants to see providers where ever they may be. Likewise, while only one of the two Broken Bow pharmacies currently accepts Medica, pharmacy coverage is also available in Callaway, Burwell, Loup City and other area communities. Vision and dental coverage can may either be continued under the current plans, or with new plans supported by Benefit Management.
Sheriff Dan Osmond again stated his support for a new insurance program, citing the high cost of family plans as a major risk for hiring and retention. Osmond noted that training a new deputy runs as much as $100,000. Being able to either retain that deputy, or hire one who has already been trained avoids wasting that sunk cost. District 3 Supervisor Barry Fox agreed that the most important piece at the moment is the cost of family coverage under the current plan.
With savings to the County under the Medica plan being rolled into subsidizing premiums for employee family coverage, the plan provided by NACO was unable compete.
Fox made a motion, seconded by District 1 Supervisor Anne Gibbons, to transition to the Medica insurance plan provided by Benefit Management. District 2 Supervisor Tammy Kleeb as the lone no vote against the motion. A second motion approved the use of 40% of savings to the County to reduce premium payments for employees under insurance plans that include family members.
Benefit Management plans to begin meetings with employees about what plans to choose and how to manage transfer to the new insurance as early as next week.
Motion to Close Recycling Center Made in Public Comments
In the raucous moments following the completion of the insurance discussion, the Board moved on to Public Comments. Supervisor Gibbons asked the board whether any movement had been made on the matter of the Recycling Center.
District 6 Supervisor Lynn Longmore and District 7 Supervisor Sara Parliament indicated that while the Broken Bow City Administrator Dave Schmidt and others were still considering their position on the matter, no substantive forward progress has been made.
District 4 Supervisor James Markham noted that he had stated an expectation that the matter would be solved within two months, and that time was nearly up.
While there was some disjointed discussion of what that meant, and what any deadline for resolution actually was, Gibbons seized the moment, stating that since 2019, the Recycling Center has lost $580,941.81. Based upon that Gibbons moved that the Recycling Center cease operation, effective December 31. Markham seconded the motion.
However, Fox stated that as the the item was not on the agenda, the motion could not be considered. Gibbons withdrew motion, but asked that the fate of the Recycling Center be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.
Expect more discussion and a possible final vote on the topic of the Recycling Center at that time.
Other Supervisors Actions
- In Committee Reports, Supervisors Kleeb, Parliament and Markham indicated meetings were underway on the County Employee Salary Committee.
- Parliament had attended a demonstration of a new emergency management dispatch system. She noted that upgrades or replacement of the current system should be viewed as a deliberate investment to ensure the dispatch system always functions.
- Markham noted he had attended County Government day, as well as the Ag Society Meeting on November 13. He stated the three new members being added to that board would be good additions.
- Markham additionally indicated the issue with shingles for the DHHS Building in Broken Bow was ongoing, with new questions about how they were installed.
- Claims were paid, with Gibbons again the lone “no” vote for general fund claims.
- The Board of Equalization approved tax roll corrections for several properties in Districts 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Taxes were adjusted, generally due to changes in outbuildings or other property alterations.
- A Right-of-Way crossing was approved to install a new power line on Sumner Road, five miles south of Broken Bow.
At the end of the Recycling Center Discussion, no further business was brought to the Custer County Supervisors, and the meeting adjourned at 11:38 AM. The next meeting of the Custer County Board of Supervisors will be December 9, at 9:00 AM, in the Custer County Courthouse.
