Court approves medical insurance rates for county employees

The Lavaca County Commissioners’ Court met in a regular meeting on Monday morning and approved the county employee medical insurance rates for the coming fiscal year.

The court heard from Summit Agency representative Daniel Brown, who is the broker for the health insurance for Lavaca County through the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) Health and Employee Benefits Pool and consultant for the south territory of TAC Clorissa Martinez.

Brown presented a report regarding the claims and premiums for Lavaca County employees insured through TAC for the past year.

He said this past year there were $1,841,103 claims paid out and $1,787,053 premiums collected on county insurers, which caused a loss ratio of 103%.

Brown added there were 40 insurers with over $10 thousand claims paid out and 5 insurers with over $100 thousand claims paid out.

“Even with this utilization TAC has done a really good job again and the increase is only five percent on the medical, which is really good,” Brown said.

Martinez reported on the different types of coverages offered through TAC on the health and employee benefits pool.

Unclaimed Property Capital Credits

The court voted to approve an amount of $22,339.43 of unclaimed property capital credits through the Texas Comptroller to Norma’s House.

The approval was in conjunction with local government code and the Texas Property Code that allocates the Texas Comptroller’s office to allocate a portion of unclaimed capital credits received from electric cooperatives back to the counties in the cooperatives’ service area.

Norma’s House was chosen as the facility to allot the capital credits because it falls in line with one of the recommended areas the comptroller’s office recommends that it go toward supporting a children’s advocacy center.

Interim

Telecommunications Director

After meeting in executive session for nearly an hour and a half, the court approved recommending the Lavaca County Sheriff’s Department appoint county EMS director Michael Furrh as interim telecommunications director, who would oversee and manage the dispatch department.

Judge Keith Mudd recommendation was due to the current telecommunications director Gina Dvorak, who is retiring after 25 years of dedicated service.

Mudd said the telecommunications department is going through several changes including a new telecommunications system, an upcoming county sheriff’s transition on Jan. 1, and the dispatch department being short handed at this time.

The judge said the court is by no means trying to run the telecommunications department which provides communication to four police departments, five fire departments as well as two EMS departments in the county.

In a motion, Mudd recommended the sheriff’s department appoint Furrh to serve as the interim telecommunication department. He said Furrh has volunteered to take over the duty with no extra cost to the sheriff’s department.

“Having a stable leader at this time, such as Michael Furrh, will certainly help keep the first responders in focus and on task, which is to keep Lavaca County safe and all its cities and jurisdictions,” Mudd said. “The court is not taking over dispatch, that belongs to the sheriff’s office.”

The court voted to table expanding the duties of the telecommunications committee to include overseeing the dispatch department, including managing the dispatch director or interim dispatch director and recommending changes to the telecommunications department until the committee has met.

In other action taken by the court:

• Tabled an oil and gas lease agreement between the county and Matrix Petroleum.

• Approved an amended consent agenda.

County Judge Keith Mudd presided over the meeting with commissioners Edward Pustka, Wayne Faircloth, Kenny Siegel and Dennis W. Kocian present for the meeting.