Workers’ Compensation Fund Pays Dividends

AAC WORKERS’ COMPENSATION Workers’ Compensation Fund pays $750,000 in dividends to its member counties in 2020

The Association of Arkansas Counties Workers’ Compensation Trust is proud to announce that for the 24th straight year dividends will be returned to all participating counties. The 2020 dividend is declared based on 2016 premiums paid and losses incurred. This brings the total dividends paid over the last 24 years to $29,948,953.

AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust Group Manager Chris Villines recommended the $750,000 dividend to the board of trustees at its June meeting. Checks were issued in July.

“There are several reasons that we are able to continue returning such large sums to the counties,” Villines said. “Our staff is excellent and efficient and the counties of Arkansas work hard to minimize risks at home. I cannot compliment our Risk Management and Insurance Director Debbie Norman enough. She has an incredible responsibility and handles it wonderfully. The Workers’ Comp staff is equally adept. Debbie Lakey, Kim Nash, Renee Turner, Kim Mitchell, and Ellen Wood do an excellent job.”

AAC Risk Management and Insurance Director Debbie Norman said, “From inception to today, this program has performed beyond expectations. It has always been our goal to reward counties with dividends, and this is the 24th straight year that successful management of the program and the commitment to safety in our counties has allowed it to occur.”

AAC, along with county officials from around the state, created the AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust in 1985 — a plan to pool resources and form a selffunded, county-owned trust to provide premium Workers’ Compensation coverage at a savings to members. The AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust is fully regulated by the State of Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission. Current trustees are Jimmy Hart, Conway County Judge; Debbie Wise, Randolph County Circuit Clerk; Debra Buckner, Pulaski County Treasurer; Brandon Ellison, Polk County Judge; and Rusty McMillon, Greene County Judge.

Here are the formulaic dividend amounts per county as approved by the AAC/WCT board:

Arkansas County.........................$8,400 Ashley County.............................$9,907 Baxter County...........................$16,294 Benton County.........................$39,518 Boone County..........................$10,885 Bradley County...........................$7,420 Calhoun County.........................$5,260 Carroll County..........................$10,549 Chicot County............................$4,629 Clark County..............................$9,763 Clay County................................$6,197 Cleburne County........................$6,407 Cleveland County.......................$4,772 Columbia County.......................$8,589 Conway County..........................$7,433 Craighead County....................$20,569 Crawford County........................$9,496 Crittenden County...................$13,207 Cross County..............................$4,755 Dallas County.............................$5,985 Desha County.............................$6,896 Drew County..............................$5,462 Faulkner County.......................$18,914 Franklin County.........................$9,617 Fulton County............................$6,065 Garland County........................$23,490 Grant County..............................$8,388 Greene County............................$9,271 Hempstead County.....................$4,366 Hot Spring County.....................$9,576 Howard County..........................$4,842 Independence County................$4,487 Izard County...............................$6,814 Jackson County...........................$6,810 Jefferson County.......................$17,370 Johnson County..........................$4,624 Lafayette County.........................$7,494 Lawrence County........................$6,263 Lee County..................................$3,394 Lincoln County...........................$6,600 Little River County.....................$6,595 Logan County.............................$8,426 Lonoke County.........................$16,020 Madison County.........................$7,104 Marion County..............................$771 Miller County.............................$9,959 Mississippi County...................$13,700 Monroe County..........................$3,079 Montgomery County..................$7,338 Nevada County...........................$7,613 Newton County..........................$8,884 Ouachita County........................$7,306 Perry County...............................$7,420 Phillips County...........................$7,028 Pike County................................$5,758 Poinsett County........................$12,168 Polk County..............................$11,717 Pope County...............................$9,858 Prairie County.............................$4,639 Pulaski County..........................$60,823 Randolph County......................$4,155 Saline County............................$17,640 Scott County...............................$9,485 Searcy County.............................$7,028 Sebastian County......................$11,119 Sevier County..............................$7,447 Sharp County..............................$6,094 St. Francis County....................$12,149 Stone County..............................$8,178 Union County...........................$14,274 Van Buren County....................$12,619 Washington County....................$8,866 White County...........................$20,049 Woodruff County.......................$2,929 Yell County.............................. $10,984

www.arcounties.org

Redistricting

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tempt to mislead Arkansas voters. Currently the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State draw the legislative districts in the state, and the 135 legislators draw our congressional districts. Those three constitutional officers and the 135 legislators are accountable to every Arkansas voter. Neither the constitutional officers nor the legislators are responsible for drawing their own districts. The Democratic Party of Arkansas has always, every single time for nearly 100 years, been responsible for drawing legislative districts. Now they have lost their majority control and they want to change the rules. There is no such thing as a true, independent appointee. Everyone has political leanings and it is best to side with transparency. We need to keep the process in place, a process that is accountable.”

Bonnie Miller, chair of Arkansas Voters First and president of the League of Women Voters of Washington County had a differing opinion.

“For too long, Arkansas politicians and special interests have used secret backroom deals to manipulate political districts to protect their interests by drawing districts to benefit them, not voters,” she said. “It’s a clear conflict of interest, and it’s time to stop the practice of politicians picking their voters, and let voters pick their politicians. The Arkansas Voters First amendment creates a nine-member independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commission. Commission members, who cannot have served as a politician or lobbyist for the last five years, will hold public hearings broadcast on TV or online. It will have three Republicans, three Democrats and three independent members, creating a fair, transparent, citizen-driven process for drawing new legislative and congressional districts.”

Redistricting will not change before the next general assembly; the process will remain the same as it has for over 150 years. You will hear politicians and pundits use the word gerrymandering a lot if their side doesn’t agree with the new districts.

— Research by AAC Law Clerk Dorothy Spector

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LITTLE ROCK, AR PERMIT No. 2797

STABILITY MATTERS.

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