Insurance rates for Lamar County employees will remain essentially the same for the upcoming fiscal year, according to a renewal plan presented to the Board of Supervisors last week.
Marc Maddox of BXS Insurance updated the board on core health insurance and voluntary health/life insurance renewal during last Thursday’s meeting at the William J. “Pete” Gamble III Chancery Courthouse in Purvis. The supervisors later approved the insurance rates during their vote on the consent agenda.
County Administrator Joseph “Jody” Waits said the relatively flat rates are good for the county employees.
“Our health care came in flat or with a little increase,” he said. “It will give our employees a chance to keep some money in their pockets and not have to spend it on insurance.”
A recent study by SmartAsset, a financial assistance company, said Lamar County is the third-healthiest county in the state. Waits said that fact plays a role in the insurance rate.
“A healthy population helps,” he said. “Certainly, when you’re insuring a group of employees, the healthier they are, the better you are and that helps us. Our broker helps us because he shops the coverage in the marketplace and continually monitors the coverage.”
Maddox explained each phase of the county’s insurance coverage renewal during the meeting. He said medical, dental and vision coverage rates did not increase, along with short-term disability, voluntary life insurance and accident and critical illness coverage.
Rate increases came in long-term disability at 16 cents per $100 of benefits and the basic life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance at $610 per year – compared to the anticipated $1,500 rate increase.
To see the full SmartAsset study, visit https://bit.ly/2ruB9J4.
In other business, the supervisors:
• Sponsored presentation of the Lamar County/South Mississippi Planning and Development District scholarships to Pearl River Community College for $750 each. The recipients were Mary Matheny of Oak Grove High School, Saleen Bounds of Lumberton High School, Tate Rankin of Purvis High School and Craig Andrews of Sumrall High School.
• Heard the monthly report from LifeGuard Ambulance Service from Ben Sones.
• Recognized Morgan Anderson, Miss Junior Teen Mississippi, United States.
• Received a request for funding help from Suzanne Allmon, Oak Grove High School Theatre Director, for the 25 students she will be taking to Ireland during the summer.
• Received a presentation from Gina Archer of Purposeful Refuge.
• Approved the April 2 Board Minutes.
• Resigned: Jacob Ham, North Bridge effective March 29.
• Rescinded the Resignation on Kasey Anderson, Dispatch effective March 31.
• Status Change: Robert D. Bryant, from South Bridge Heavy Equipment to North Bridge Heavy Equipment effective April 2, no change in pay.
• New Hire: Vivian McAnally, Dispatch effective April 9 at $11 per hour.
• New Hire: Kenneth Bullock, South Bridge Heavy Equipment effective April 23 at $13 per hour.
• New Hire: Charles Polk, Sanitation Hopper/Fill-in Driver effective April 23 at $11 per hour.
• Resigned: Donald Bounds, South Road effective June 29.
• Approved the MDOT permit to install a culvert on Hwy. 42 for Daystar Baptist Church.
• Approved transfer of $4,200 from fund 020 (Drug Court) to 001 (General Fund) for FY2018 automobile insurance cost.
• Approved transfer of $6,657 from fund 029 (Jag Grant Fund) to 007 (Severance) for reimbursement of grant funds.
• Approved paying lawful expenses of Linda Hartfield, Pat Boutwell and Dale Denham to attend the Election Commissioner’s Summer Workshop Training, July 10 in Hattiesburg.
• Approved paying lawful expenses of Shirley Haddox to attend the Election Commissioner’s Summer Workshop Training, July 17 in Meridian.
• Approved advertising county resources for $7,609.84 with the Sumrall Dixie Youth Baseball to be paid from the District 5 Parks and Recreation Fund.
• Approved advertising county resources for $200 with the Purvis High School Drama Club to be paid from District 3 Parks and Recreation Fund.
• Approved paying lawful expenses of the County Administrator, Comptroller, Board of Supervisors, County Engineer, County Attorney and the Road Manager to attend the Summer MAS conference in Biloxi on June 11-14.
• Approved transfer of $325 from District 3 Parks and Recreation to County Wide Road for work performed by the Road Department.
• Approved advertise county resources in the amount of $500 with OGLE PTO Robotics to be paid equally from District 1 and District 4 Parks and Recreation.
• Approved paying lawful expenses of Rikka Walters and Leslie Armstrong to attend the IAED Advanced EMD Certification Course in Vicksburg June 7-9.
• Approved Rental Consideration Set in Lease of 16th Section Lands in Lamar County for Paul Beasley.
• Approved Rental Consideration Set in Lease of 16th Section Lands in Lamar County for Lamar County Board of Supervisors.
• Approved Board President to sign the full Non-Compensated Special Contract Investigator Contract with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics .
• Approved donating time to Michael Green effective April 4.
• Approved paying lawful expenses of Investigator Michael Wahl to attend the Mobile Device Examinations Training, July 8-Aug. 3 in Hoover, Alabama.
• Approved Board President to sign closeout form for JAG (16LB1371).
• Approved a finding DFNDR ARMOR is the sole source provider for 16 Level 3 Rifle Plates for the SRT bulletproof vest.
• Approved purchase of 16 Level 3 Rifle Plates for the SRT bulletproof vest from sole source provider, DFNDR ARMOR in the amount of $6,513 to be paid from Forfeiture Fund.
• Approved paying lawful expenses of Correctional Officers Allseitz and Roberts to attend the Court Security Seminar, May 22-24 in D’Iberville.
• Approved advertising county resources in the amount of $300 for sponsorship of the Hattiesburg Police Benefit Fund, to be paid from Sheriff Department Donation Fund.
• Rate Change: Dalton Murphy, Pine Ridge for completion of EMT Basic effective April 23 from $13 per hour to $15 per hour.
• Approved the asset deletion list as submitted and dispose of as indicated on the inventory deletion form.
• Approved changes in Assessments as submitted by the Tax Collector/Assessor.
• Approved changes in Homestead as submitted by the Tax Collector/Assessor.
• Approved Tax Sale Cancellations as submitted by the Tax Collector/Assessor.
• Approved the “Homestead Objections and Acceptance” as approved by the State of Mississippi and submitted by the Tax Collector/Assessor.
• Approved a finding that Bryce Ladner requested and paid the appropriate fee of $336 for a variance that has been determined to be unnecessary.
• Approved refunding Bryce Ladner $336 for the payment of a variance fee that has been determined to be unnecessary.
• Approved accepting the roads for maintenance in Dandridge Phase II.
• Tabled accepting an existing private road for County maintenance in District 5. The name of the road will be Dot Otis Lane.
• Approved setting the speed limit at 35mph on Sullivan Kilrain Road in District 2 per the recommendation of the Road Manager.
• Approved advertising county resources for $500 for sponsorship of the Lady Eagle Basketball Golf Classic. To be paid from General Fund.
The next meeting for the Lamar County Board of Supervisors is at 9 a.m. May 7 at the Chancery Courthouse. County offices will be closed Monday, April 30, for Confederate Memorial Day.
