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Page 14 April 10, 2022 StarNews www.starnewsgaonline.com HIGHER INSURANCE from front page

The taxpayer paid non-recorded non-live streamed retreat was held at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia. Most govermental boards hold retreats out of town to help encourage board members to be frank in discussion as public attendance is expected - and usually lower or non-existent. For this retreat, one media person was in attendance (StarNews) and two citizens who stayed for a few hours on one day.

The work horses for the retreat were District 2 Commissioner Clint Chance and District 5 Commissioner Ernie Reynolds who commanded the direction of most of the discussion. They consistently prodded presenters with direct questions about the spending of taxpayer monies, oft times insisting on better clarity. District 1 Commissioner Montrell McLendon’s verbal interaction was on a lesser scale timewise than Chance and Reynolds, but he interjected with strong comments, and offered suggestions that could save taxpayer monies.

The board addressed more than a dozen topics, with three main issues: 1. to form a committee comprised of county employees whose function would be to help make investment decisions for the county’s employee retirement funds with advice from a non-local professional; 2. J. Smith Lanier gave the heads up that health insurance costs will be increased by approximately $1 million; 3. J. Smith Lanier (aka Marsh & McLennan Agency) gave the heads up that other insurance costs - vehicular, cyber, lawsuits - will increase 7% to 9%.

The increased cost warnings came simultaneously from the J. Smith Lanier presenter as he complimented the board on the “good year” the county had. That with the county’s approximately 400 vehicles having made only three claims last year, “that many drivers, that many vehicles, I commend you for this . . . is good news. . the county has done well in the auto part of insurance claims.” In response to why the increase, the response was due to statistics from other parts of the state of Georgia having high settlement court claims, that 70 cases in the state had been awarded $1M each. For health insurance, the same scenario unfolded: despite the county hosting health fairs and other initiatives toward better health, the J. Smith Lanier representative said to “expect an increase in costs due to people not going to the doctor during CoVID [waiting and then seeing a physician after the health problem exacerbated], and there were alot of claims for CoVID.” Also, he remarked that two previously unidentified diabetics were discovered during a county health fair.

Other reasons given for the increased costs: 12 health claims by county employees that totaled $100,000; that emergency room visits climbed 37% [CoVID]; and that an injectable medication to treat arthritis/ cancer per person costs $5,000-$10,000 per month.

J. Smith Lanier gave suggestions on how to cut expenses: advise county employees to not go to ER first, go to urgent care instead; and to ask their physician for generic medications.

J. Smith Lanier representative concluded with, “ You have a very fair plan. You guys are very fair pricewise. The higher costs? It is what it is.”

All commissioners were in attendance for the full retreat. Thirteen county employees/commissioners were in attendance, including Theron Gay, a paid mediator; two county attorneys; and the county’s finance director.

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners met at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia, for a retreat on Tuesday, March 29th, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Wednesday, March 30th, 8:00 a.m- noon. The 13 hours of discussion and presentations included the one shown above in which Commissioner District 1 Montrell McLendon asks a strong question to a presenter who was espousing the possible formation of a committee comprised of county employees whose function would be to help make investment decisions for the county’s employee retirement funds. It was suggested the committee have a non-local hired advisor. The commissioners and the other retreat attendees, who are county employees, did not appear to be strongly interested in pursuing this idea. Photo by Sue Horn

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