Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@shawanoleader.com
A measure to increase the Shawano County sheriff’s budget for unanticipated health insurance costs was referred back to committee Wednesday.
The County Board voted 25-2 to send the request for an additional $19,622 to pay for a new employee’s health insurance back to the Finance Committee for clarification after a supervisor questioned whether the figure was accurate.
During 2014 budget talks last fall, the employee told administrators he and his family would not enroll in the county’s insurance program, according to Chief Deputy John Gutho. After the budget was approved, the employee’s situation changed, and he asked to join the insurance plan at the family rate, Gutho said.
Supervisor Deb Noffke pointed out another employee in the department dropped out of the insurance plan at the end of 2013. The employee was on the single plan, which costs the county $560 per month. The family rate costs the county around $1,635 monthly. Noffke suggested the county should only be adding money to pay the difference, or $1,075 per month.
“You would be looking at a shortfall of maybe $12,000, because you’d be making up the difference, not padding the budget,” Noffke said.
Supervisor Gene Hoppe opposed increasing the budget.
“If we’re going to do the $19,000, why not do it out of the (department’s) 1 percent carryover?” Hoppe said. “In next year’s budget, we can put it in. We have a lot of expenses, and we couldn’t even give a raise to any of our employees.”
Supervisor Bonnie Olson pointed out that there were likely to be additional changes in employees’ insurance needs throughout the year and making a request for the total amount at the end of the year would be a smarter move.
“This is just January, so why wouldn’t you use up the money and then, at the end of the year, if you’re short, ask for the $19,000?” Olson said. “Things could change in the department over the course of the year, and someone could drop their insurance.”
Finance Director Diane Rusch pointed out that the board approved a similar request from Shawano City-County Library in December.
The county saw an overall decrease of 2 percent in its health insurance costs in 2013, and the money being saved was put into a contingency fund to anticipate changes as new requirements for the Affordable Care Act took effect, Rusch said.
Noffke, who sits on the Library Board, pointed out the library’s resolution added two employees to the insurance plan, and no library employees were leaving the county insurance plan.