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Insurance rates increase for county

GIRARD — The economic situation gripping the country came home to Crawford County, in the form of slightly increased costs for insurance.

The county was hit with an almost 5 percent increase in the cost for insurance for next year. Ray Ryan of Fee Insurance Group in Pittsburg presented an overview of county coverage to the Board of Commissioners during its meeting Monday.

Fee Insurance Group is the agent locally for Employer's Mutual Casualty (EMC), the company that underwrites the county's policy for workers compensation, property and general liability insurance. The policy also includes insurance on county equipment and vehicles and for the Crawford County Sheriff's Office.

It's not common for a single company to carry all aspects of insurance for a governmental agency, Ryan said. That EMC does so for Crawford County speaks well to the work done to keep claims and risks low, locally, he said.

"I'd say you're one of EMC's best accounts," Ryan told the board.

Insurance coverage for the coming year is going to cost the county $460,521, Ryan said. That's an increase of almost $24,000 from coverage rates lasts year.

Included in that rate is an almost 8 percent increase in the cost of workers compensation coverage, Ryan said. The increase in part reflects a major claim in November of last year. Companies look at the three years prior to the coverage year when computing workers compensation insurance rates, he said.

The rate also includes a $1,637 increase in the cost of insurance on county-owned property. That does include coverage for the new ambulance building in Frontenac, Ryan said.

Another major change, but one that didn't result in a rate increase, is an overall increase in the amount of general liability coverage, he said. The change is necessary because of the possibility, however remote, the county could become involved in a federal lawsuit.

Kansas counties are protected by a $500,000 limit on local lawsuits by the Kansas Tort Claims Act. Recent federal lawsuits elsewhere in the state have brought to light a vulnerability for county governments that led Ryan to recommend an increase in the coverage.

"You still enjoy the limitation on claims at the state level," he said. "But this increase needs to be included in this renewal so you don't get caught, if you get involved in a federal claim."
On a motion by Bob Kmiec, seconded by Linda Grilz, the board voted unanimously to approve the proposal as presented.

In other business, the board:

• Accepted for further research a proposal from John Tersinar, a National Emergency Grant Career Manager with Kansas Works.

The agency administers a $10 million, 16-county grant in southeast Kansas, stemming from 2007 flooding in the region. The grant was put in place specifically to aid displaced workers with temporary employment involving storm cleanup and flood prevention activities.

The grant expires in June of this year, Tersinar told the board. He was there Monday to again invite Crawford County to participate with temporary jobs. Anyone hired would not be a direct employee of the county, he said. But the county would have some supervisory responsibilities for the workers. The program provides tools and supplies and carries workers compensation insurance on the employees.

A private company, Dynamic Educational Systems Inc., of Phoenix, is the overall grant administrator and is the employer of record for the workers. But if local supervisors, who could include crew foremen from the county Road and Bridge Dept., weren't satisfied with an individuals work, the county could dismiss the worker, he said.

The main goal of the program is to clean up from the 2007 floods and to prevent future flooding, Tersinar said. Efforts focus on cleaning out waterways, ditches and roadways so excess water flows more efficiently, alleviating flooding concerns.

"That's been a concern of mine since the ice storms last year," Commissioner Ralph McGeorge said.

"Some of the hung-up (debris) is still there and it's going to be floating down the creeks and collecting on bridges. This sounds like a good program to get that cleaned up and prevent future flooding by getting the debris out of there."

The board deferred action on the proposal pending additional research by county counselor Jim Emerson.

• Voted unanimously to appoint Commissioner McGeorge as board chair and Linda Grilz as board vice-chair for 2009.

• Voted unanimously to name Girard National Bank, Exchange State Bank of Girard and First National Bank of Girard as official banks for the county.

• Voted unanimously to name The Girard Press and The Morning Sun as official newspapers of record for county business.

The next meeting of the board will be Friday, starting with a 9 a.m. work session for department heads and elected officials, with the regular meeting to begin immediately following. The Crawford County Courthouse will be closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

Source:http://www.morningsun.net/news/x512386384/Insurance-rates-increase-for-county