The Marion County Board has passed a balanced budget for the fiscal year beginning December first. Revenue and expenses total $10,780,971. There is a $411,000 contingency fund for excess revenue over expenses. The budget is the largest ever for the county and is seeing increased revenue from sales taxes and federal COVID-19 relief funding.
The board Tuesday night also approved changing to a partially self-funded health insurance plan through Mutual Medical.
Under the plan, the county will self-fund claims from each employee up to $35,000. There will then be an insurance policy to pick up claims above $35,000. Chaney and Karsh Insurance Agency’s DJ Justice explained the plan will also remove those with extremely high medicine costs or medical problems for coverage outside the plan that will likely also pick up any deductible expenses. He called it a win-win for the county and employees.
Even with the new plan, county employees will still have to pay a 24-percent increase in insurance costs next year. That amounts to $70 per pay period. However, the plan is expected to stabilize insurance costs going forward so future increases can hopefully be avoided.
