County OKs employee insurance costs

ALBANY, Ga. — Following Dougherty County Administrator Richard Crowdis’s “very good, productive meeting” with Public Works employees Tuesday, the County Commission approved a revised employee medical plan contribution schedule Wednesday in a special called meeting.

The commission was set to vote Monday to increase employee contributions to the county’s group health plan after officials with Wells Fargo Insurance Services, which serves as a consultant for the county, informed commissioners the county’s insurance coverage would increase by 3 percent, or $144,045, in 2013.

Twenty-one Public Works employees attended the Monday commission meeting to complain about the recommended increase, leading the commission to table a vote on the plan. Crowdis informed the employees he’d revised the Wells Fargo/county Insurance Review Committee recommendation so that employee contributions would be significantly lower.

“When the Public Works employees came here (Monday), they had not seen the revised recommendation,” Crowdis told the commission Wednesday. “They’re all on board now. They reviewed the changes and understand this is all a part of the (financial) environment we’re in now.”

Crowdis’s revised recommendation approved by commissioners Wednesday calls for employees’ bi-weekly contribution to the county’s base plan to increase by $1.42 per pay period, $2.76 for employee-plus-one and $3.96 for family. Wells Fargo’s initial recommendation called for employees to pay an additional $16.85, $33.63 and $43.65 per pay period.

Information provided by Crowdis shows that employees will absorb $34,008, or 24 percent, of the 3 percent insurance increase.