The Marion County Board of Commissioners decided Monday to help employees defray health insurance costs, even though the county?s carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield, has warned that future rates are uncertain with changes in coverage laws.
A county plan now costs an employee $1,076 a month for a family plan with the county paying $470 of that.
The commissioners voted 3-0 to increase the county share by $50 a month, on both family and single plans, and to take a look at doing the same in 2016.
With Road and Bridge Director Randy Crawford outlining plans for $400,000 worth of blacktop surfacing in the Peabody area?with two layers applied to 300th by Peabody and one layer nearby on Quail Creek?Commissioner Dan Holub insisted that plans also be made for surfacing Reming?ton Road from Marion to Pilsen.
Holub said the county shouldn?t go through another summer with heavy dust obscuring the Pilsen road as buses carry loads of visitors on pilgrimage to see the Father Emil Kapaun memorial. The process to name Kapaun a saint in the Catholic Church is continuing.
The three commissioners contemplated how they might manage to do that within the county?s budget limitations.
The commissioners approved the purchase of a 2014 International gravel truck with a snow plow blade for $131,771 with monthly payments of $2,200 to International for five years.
The commissioners and Crawford agreed that additional truck purchases need to be considered, along with selling 1990s models before high-cost repairs are needed.
Department of Aging Administrator Gayla Ratz?laff said the state has agreed to pay county road and bridge $25 to unload food commodities from a semi truck March 12 at the Marion Senior Center.
Ratzlaff said she has enrolled seven seniors to participate in seven weeks of Tai Chi physical therapy at a cost to them of $1 per session.
The commissioners voted 3-0 to reject a plan presented by Dana Dunn of P1 Group Inc., of Overland Park, that offered engineering consultation on upgrading the courthouse structure.
They approved paying $1,323.76 for courthouse computer firewall equipment through Great Plains Computers of Marion over a second proposal from the company for $1,710.
