The Monongalia County Commission unanimously voted to renew insurance benefits for its employees and to absorb the increased costs at its meeting on Wednesday.
Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield will cover Mon County employees with health, dental and vision for $4,754,262 – an increase of 9.5%.
Commissioner Sean Sikora said when they first started talking with the insurance company the projected increase was above 20%.
Last year, employees paid 7.5% of the total cost and this coming year will pay 6.89%, according Sikora.
Commission President Ed Hawkins said the commission is covering the increase because it shows the value they place on their employees.
The increased cost is fully funded in the 2021 budget, Sikora said.
The commission also voted to renew its general liability and worker’s compensation insurance for a total of $736,184 – an increase of 2.73%.
MECCA 911 Director Jim Smith updated the commission on the status of a damaged communication’s tower on Daybrook Road that provides emergency signal and cell coverage to the western end of the county.
Smith had a meeting with state officials, Premier Construction Group and Marion County 911, who also use the tower on Tuesday and Premier engineers will begin a two-week evaluation of the tower.
Smith informed the commission that the state’s tower fund has $240,000 in it and he was told the county could be a perfect candidate depending on the results of the engineering study.
The insurance company will be contacted next, Smith said.
While the tower is in the middle of the woods, extra no trespassing signs were placed around it as a precaution, Smith said. There are gas wells in the area but they are outside of the tower’s fall zone.
Smith also informed U.S. Cellular, which uses the tower to provide cell coverage, of the problem and had a “very good” conversation with the company’s representatives.
“Hopefully we will be able to work with them and work through this process to have a good end result,” he said, adding that things seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
With the end of the school year the county’s food program will be changing in the next two weeks, Commissioner Tom Bloom said. He said feedmonkids.com is working with Pantry Plus More and the Mountaineer Food Bank to expand and do better.
Commissioners urged people to use common sense as Monongalia County comes off the COVID-19 hot spot list and businesses reopen by following restrictions and health department guidelines, such as wearing a mask in a public place.
Hawkins said he will continue to wear his mask in public places.
Hawkins also wants people to fill out the 2020 census because West Virginia’s response is still “not admirable.”
In other County news:
The Monongalia County Health Department will offer free COVID-19 testing 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, in the Big Lots parking lot in Westover and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Mountainview Elementary and the West Virginia University Coliseum.
