Jackson County Commission approved covering the cost of a 10 percent health insurance increase at its Monday night meeting.
County Mayor Randy Heady said the increase does not require amending the county’s budget, as the county budget committee planned to cover the increase during the budgeting process. He said the increase was a significant leap to these costs.
“It was just unfortunate,” Heady said. “When you ask your people, and you’re not giving them a raise to go along with that, they’re going to be losing money. With inflation the way it is right now, and the cost of living going up so much.”
Heady said the increase will help approximately 45 county employees. While the insurance doesn’t affect every plan, he said it will average the county an additional $486 a month.
Heady said that this increase in the state’s insurance plan affected many counties in a similar way. He said he’s proud of the fact that Jackson County is covering such a high portion of its employees’ insurance plans to show appreciation for county employees.
“I think it’s good that the people know that the county is really stepping up to the plate,” Heady said. “There are counties around us that do pay more than we do, and I know that, but there are also counties who don’t pay what we do (..) So I’m really proud that we do that. It shows that we do care, and that we’re trying to compensate our employees for their hardwork.”
In other business, the county also approved several budget amendments. These included an amendment for the audit services and increase in coroner fees.
