MONROE - Green County supervisors approved a switch to a new worker's comp and liability insurance company Tuesday for 2013 after the current company chose not to renew due to the county's high number of claims.
The County Board agreed unanimously to contract with Wisconsin County Mutual (Aegis Corporation) starting in 2013. The premium for worker's comp insurance will be $420,068 and $162,385 for liability insurance.
Liberty Mutual won't renew with the county, according to Clerk Mike Doyle, because "we've had a lot of injuries." While the number of annual claims has gone down, from 87 in 2008 to 68 so far this year, several expensive claims spiked the total costs. Doyle gave an example of a slip and fall at the nursing home that required major surgeries.
Pleasant View Nursing Home employees have claimed the most, according to county records. Out of about $1.3 million in settlements over the past six years, $900,000 has covered medical expenses incurred by nursing home employees.
The Highway Department comes in at a distant second in number of claims.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Sheriff's Department got an award this year for no claims.
In other business:
• Supervisors approved a 2.5 percent wage increase in 2013 for department heads, unrepresented employees and elected officials. Wages for about 100 county employees will go up 2 percent Jan. 1 and 1 percent July 7. This means that by the end of the next year, these employees will be making 3 percent more than they do now.
In total, the increase will cost the county just over $153,000 in wages and benefits in 2013.
"All the union contracts are identical to this," Doyle said.
• Supervisors also approved resolutions to update several county ordinances to reflect state statutes. Most significantly, the changes gives local law enforcement the discretion to issue citations for concealed weapon and animal mistreatment violations, instead of pressing criminal charges.
District Attorney Gary Luhman and Chief Deputy Dick Wyttenbach said the changes make it easier for law enforcement to correct a possible animal neglect violation, for example, without resorting to criminal prosecution. A citation will "get their attention," according to Luhman.
Wyttenbach said his deputies get about two to three animal neglect complaints a month and, if the complaints are substantiated, the deputies try to work with the offender to correct the situation before citing the person.
Often, he said, animal neglect stems from mental health issues or economic hardship and criminal prosecution isn't the best first step to correcting it.
Citations based on county ordinances keep the money paid within the county, instead of sending it to a state fund, Luhman said.
• A resolution passed to transfer about 100 delinquent tax certificates from 2009. Doyle said he's usually able to work with the delinquent individuals and businesses to get the taxes paid eventually.
• Supervisors passed a resolution that urges state legislators to amend the constitution to ensure that transportation user fees will be spent for transportation purposes.
Gas tax and vehicle registration fees comprise more than 85 percent of the state's segregated transportation account, according to the resolution, and "Wisconsin's past practice of transferring money from the segregated transportation fund to the general fund has eroded the public's confidence that the 'user fees' they pay ... will be used for their intended purpose."
The resolution will be sent to the six legislators that represent the Green County area.
• After much discussion, supervisors voted to postpone a decision on the extension of an IT contract with K2 IT Solutions, LLC.
Extending the three-year contract another year, through 2014, would save the county about $6,300, according to Finance Director Rhonda Hunter.
But several supervisors argued there are unresolved issues to discuss before moving forward with an extension.
• Marcia Sery Crawford presented a watercolor her late brother, commercial artist Jack E. Sery, painted of the Courthouse. He died last month at the age of 93, she said, and to the end never stopped painting and never ran out of ideas or skill for his art. He painted the Courthouse when he was 88.
"His mind was just something else," she said. His painting she donated will hang in the Courthouse.
The County Board agreed unanimously to contract with Wisconsin County Mutual (Aegis Corporation) starting in 2013. The premium for worker's comp insurance will be $420,068 and $162,385 for liability insurance.
Liberty Mutual won't renew with the county, according to Clerk Mike Doyle, because "we've had a lot of injuries." While the number of annual claims has gone down, from 87 in 2008 to 68 so far this year, several expensive claims spiked the total costs. Doyle gave an example of a slip and fall at the nursing home that required major surgeries.
Pleasant View Nursing Home employees have claimed the most, according to county records. Out of about $1.3 million in settlements over the past six years, $900,000 has covered medical expenses incurred by nursing home employees.
The Highway Department comes in at a distant second in number of claims.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Sheriff's Department got an award this year for no claims.
In other business:
• Supervisors approved a 2.5 percent wage increase in 2013 for department heads, unrepresented employees and elected officials. Wages for about 100 county employees will go up 2 percent Jan. 1 and 1 percent July 7. This means that by the end of the next year, these employees will be making 3 percent more than they do now.
In total, the increase will cost the county just over $153,000 in wages and benefits in 2013.
"All the union contracts are identical to this," Doyle said.
• Supervisors also approved resolutions to update several county ordinances to reflect state statutes. Most significantly, the changes gives local law enforcement the discretion to issue citations for concealed weapon and animal mistreatment violations, instead of pressing criminal charges.
District Attorney Gary Luhman and Chief Deputy Dick Wyttenbach said the changes make it easier for law enforcement to correct a possible animal neglect violation, for example, without resorting to criminal prosecution. A citation will "get their attention," according to Luhman.
Wyttenbach said his deputies get about two to three animal neglect complaints a month and, if the complaints are substantiated, the deputies try to work with the offender to correct the situation before citing the person.
Often, he said, animal neglect stems from mental health issues or economic hardship and criminal prosecution isn't the best first step to correcting it.
Citations based on county ordinances keep the money paid within the county, instead of sending it to a state fund, Luhman said.
• A resolution passed to transfer about 100 delinquent tax certificates from 2009. Doyle said he's usually able to work with the delinquent individuals and businesses to get the taxes paid eventually.
• Supervisors passed a resolution that urges state legislators to amend the constitution to ensure that transportation user fees will be spent for transportation purposes.
Gas tax and vehicle registration fees comprise more than 85 percent of the state's segregated transportation account, according to the resolution, and "Wisconsin's past practice of transferring money from the segregated transportation fund to the general fund has eroded the public's confidence that the 'user fees' they pay ... will be used for their intended purpose."
The resolution will be sent to the six legislators that represent the Green County area.
• After much discussion, supervisors voted to postpone a decision on the extension of an IT contract with K2 IT Solutions, LLC.
Extending the three-year contract another year, through 2014, would save the county about $6,300, according to Finance Director Rhonda Hunter.
But several supervisors argued there are unresolved issues to discuss before moving forward with an extension.
• Marcia Sery Crawford presented a watercolor her late brother, commercial artist Jack E. Sery, painted of the Courthouse. He died last month at the age of 93, she said, and to the end never stopped painting and never ran out of ideas or skill for his art. He painted the Courthouse when he was 88.
"His mind was just something else," she said. His painting she donated will hang in the Courthouse.