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OF YOU TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR SPECIAL MEETING, DELIBERATION OF THE FISCAL YEAR OF 26, 20, 20 27, COUNTY BUDGET AND THE 26TH TAX RATE.AGAIN, I ASK THAT IF YOU HAVE YOUR CELL PHONES, UH, WOULD YOU KINDLY MUTE THEM OR TURN THEM OFF? I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT.
AND IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND, IF YOU WOULD, UH, RISE AND HAVE, UM, SUPERVISOR CROCKER TO GIVE OUR INVOCATION AND REMAIN STANDING FOR OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
DEAR GOD BLESS THIS MEETING, AND ALLOW US TO DO OUR WORK THROUGH YOUR WILL.
THE PLED FLAG TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
THERE ISN'T A NEED FOR, UM, REMOTE PARTICIPATION.
SO I ACCEPT, UH, A MOTION FOR THE ADOPTION OF AGENDA MOVE.
SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVING PROPERLY.
SECOND, THAT WE WILL ADOPT OUR AGENDA.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? EXCUSE ME.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, LET IT BE KNOWN BY AYE.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED? AND THAT MOTION HAS CARRIED, WHICH, UH, AT THIS TIME, 2.1.
WE RECEIVED A PRESENTATION FROM THE COUNTY'S EMPLOYEE HEALTHCARE CONSULTANT.
WE HAVE, UH, OUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR, MIKE MASON, TO GIVE US, UH, THE PREVIEW.
CHAIR MIKE MASON, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
UM, THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF TONIGHT'S MEETING IS, IS, UH, TO POSSIBLY ADOPT THE COUNTY'S 2027 BUDGET, UH, THE 2026 TAX RATES AND AMENDMENTS TO, UH, APPENDIX A IN CHAPTER 38 OF AKIMA COUNTY CODE.
BUT BECAUSE, UM, THERE IS, UH, DISCUSSION, LET'S CALL IT, UH, AT THE MOMENT ON POSSIBLY CHANGING, UH, THE COUNTY EMPLOYEE'S HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFIT.
AND BECAUSE THAT, THAT POSSIBLE CHANGE HAS SUCH A DIRECT BEARING ON THE COUNTY'S NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, WE THOUGHT WE WOULD LEAVE BY, UH, LEE BY GIVING YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT, WHERE WE'RE AT ON THIS DISCUSSION.
UM, IN OUR RESEARCH, UH, WE HAD THE COUNTY'S CONSULTANT, DAVID COSTA, FROM, UH, GALLAGHER, WHO'S GOING TO, UH, PRESENT, UH, SOME SLIDES TO YOU ON, ON WHAT HE'S FOUND IN, IN ASSISTING US WITH THESE CHOICES.
UM, AFTER, AFTER HE IS, UH, FINISHED, I HAVE A FEW SLIDES, UH, THAT I INITIALLY SHARED WITH THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE THIS AFTERNOON THAT I THINK THE BOARD, UH, WOULD WANT TO SEE.
AND, AND THEN WE'LL GET BACK DOWN TO THE, WHAT, I GUESS WHAT MOST OF US WERE EXPECTING IS THE ACTION ITEMS TODAY.
SO WITH THAT, UH, MR. COSTA, WE'RE READY FOR YOU TO START SHARING YOUR SCREEN AND GIVE YOUR PRESENTATION.
CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME AND SEE THE SCREEN? OKAY? YES.
ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TODAY.
I AM A CONSULTANT WITH GALLAGHER BENEFIT SERVICES.
SO I'VE BEEN WITH MY COMPANY 16 YEARS, MY FIRST EIGHT YEARS AS AN UNDERWRITER.
SO I'M VERY DEEP INTO THE FINANCIALS OF THE, OF THE CLIENTS I WORK WITH.
SO WE HAVE A SELF-FUNDED HEALTH PLAN TODAY, MEANING WE DON'T, UH, INSURE OURSELVES.
WE PAY OUR, WE PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR OUR CLAIMS. SO I'M VERY INVOLVED WITH SELF-FUNDED HEALTH PLANS, HELPING, UH, MY CLIENTS UNDERWRITE THEM, SO BUDGET FOR THEM, UH, FINANCIAL REPORTING AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO THAT.
UM, SO TODAY I'M GONNA BE GOING THROUGH SOME MARKET TRENDS AND JUST SOME UPDATES IN WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH SPECIFICALLY TO THE MARKET AND ALSO SPECIFICALLY TO AKIMA COUNTY.
SO JUST TO SET THE STAGE, UM, MR. MASON PROBABLY ALREADY SHARED, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT A BUDGET INCREASE IN THE RANGE OF 20% THIS YEAR, UM, FOR OUR, FROM OUR BUDGET RATES.
UM, WHAT I'M SHARING ON MY SCREEN RIGHT NOW IS MARKET AVERAGES.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING ACROSS, UM, BASICALLY IN, IN THE INDUSTRY, THE AVERAGE TREND RATE, WHICH IS BASICALLY INFLATION FOR MEDICAL RIGHT NOW AVERAGE IS ABOUT 9.4%.
THAT'S 8.7% SPECIFIC TO THE MEDICAL BENEFIT AND ABOUT 11% SPECIFIC TO THE PHARMACY BENEFIT.
SO PHARMACY GROWTH IS OUTPACING EVEN MEDICAL GROWTH, BUT ON AVERAGE, CLOSE TO 10% IS WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT YOUR COST TO INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR.
ON, ON, ON, UM, YOUR HEALTH PLAN.
RIGHT NOW, THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS DRIVING IT.
I'M CALLING OUT A COUPLE HERE.
EVERYWHERE YOU GO ON THE NEWS RIGHT NOW, YOU SEE GLP ONE, UM, THAT'S BECOME THE NUMBER ONE LINE OF DEFENSE FOR DIABETICS.
SO IT USED TO BE YOU TOOK METFORMIN, YOU TOOK JARDIANCE, THOSE WERE VERY MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE.
BUT NOW FOLKS ARE TAKING DRUG THAT BASICALLY COST ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS A SCRIPT.
SO THAT'S PUTTING A LOT OF PRESSURES ON HEALTH PLANS.
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AND THEN THE BIGGEST ONE IS BIG SPIKES IN LARGE CLAIMANT ACTIVITY.SO A LARGE CLAIMANT WILL CONSIDER THAT ANY CLAIMANT THAT'S OVER $50,000 IN PAID CLAIMS. SO POST COVID, WE'RE SEEING BIG SPIKES IN CANCER COSTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SPECIFIC TO YOUR PLAN, CANCER IS A LARGE DRIVER, LARGE DRIVER, AND THAT'S INDUSTRY WISE AS WELL.
UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE HELPING, UM, ON THE TREND MITIGATORS, THERE ARE SOME BIOSIMILAR DRUGS.
THOSE ARE BASICALLY GENERIC DRUGS FOR SPECIALTY MEDICATIONS.
THINK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE COMMERCIALS YOU SEE ON TV AT NIGHT.
SKYRIZI, STELARA, HUMIRA, THERE'S ALL NEW BIOSIMILARS COMING OUT, WHICH ARE MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE.
THAT'S HELPING US, UH, AND THEN START TO HELP US MORE.
BUT IN THE SHORT TERM, RIGHT NOW, WE ARE SEEING, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF COST PRESSURES SPECIFICALLY TO DIABETES AND GLP ONES.
SO I TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THIS, BUT TYPICALLY PRE COVID, IT USED TO BE WHEN A PROVIDER, LIKE I THINK ABOUT A HOSPITAL SYSTEM CAME UP FOR NEGOTIATION WITH ANTHEM OR CIGNA OR AETNA, THEY WOULD ASK FOR A THREE TO 5% INCREASE POST COVID.
THOSE HAVE INCREASED TO EIGHT TO 12.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, LABOR IS A ISSUE WHERE BY PAYING NURSES, GETTING, UH, ADEQUATE CARE HELP IS, IS IS A TOUGH SITUATION.
AND THERE'S ALSO SOME PRESSURES FROM PRIVATE EQUITY.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, UH, MEDICAL PRACTICES, DERMATOLOGY PRACTICES BEING BUILT, UH, BOUGHT UP BY COMPANIES AND THUS INCREASING PRICES.
YOU SEE IT WITH, UM, UM, MAYBE LOCALLY WITH HVAC COMPANIES OR VETERINARIAN CLINICS, BUT IT'S ALSO HAPPENING IN MEDICAL SPACE.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THOSE RX INFLATIONARY INFLATIONARY FACTORS.
UM, THERE ARE NEW DRUGS THAT HAVE COME OUT THAT ARE MIRACLE DRUGS.
THEY'RE CALLED GENE THERAPIES, BUT BASICALLY THESE ARE MILLION DOLLAR DRUGS THAT CURE VERY RARE ORPHAN DISEASES.
SO WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY OF THESE CLAIMS, BUT ACROSS THE BOARD ON OUR STOP-LOSS, ON OUR REINSURANCE, THE CARRIERS ARE BUDGETING AND, AND EXPERIENCING IMPACTS FROM, UM, THE GENE THERAPY DRUGS.
AND THEN JUST IN GENERAL, UNITED STATES IS THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
SO I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE STUFF ON THE NEWS WHERE THE, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING TO GET MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS.
IF THAT HAPPENS, IT WOULD BE AMAZING FOR DRUG COSTS.
I'M NOT OPTIMISTIC, BUT BASICALLY THE UNITED STATES IS PAYING ALL THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COSTS TODAY, AND EVERYONE EL EVERYONE ELSE IS, IS BENEFITING OFF OF THAT AND NOT HAVING TO PAY THAT.
UM, THERE'S ALSO A FEW REGULATORY PRESSURES YOU'VE SEEN IN THE NEWS ABOUT A CA SUBSIDIES GOING AWAY ON THE INDIVIDUAL MARKET, THOUGH IT'S NOT DIRECT.
THE EMPLOYER MARKETS DEFINITELY SOME, UH, HAVE SOME PIECE OF SUBSIDY THAT IMPACTS THOSE INDIVIDUAL MARKETS.
SO WITH THE A CA AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SUBSIDIES GOING AWAY, THAT IS ALSO PUTTING PRESSURE ON THESE MEDICAL CARRIERS AND WHY THEY'RE ASKING FOR INCREASES.
SO SPECIFIC TO AKIMA COUNTY, UM, WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS ACTUAL EXPERIENCE FROM YOUR HEALTH PLAN.
UM, I'M FOCUSING ON THE MOST RECENT TWO YEARS.
SO THAT MIDDLE COLUMN IS 24 25, AND THE LIGHT COLUMN TO THE RIGHT IS GONNA BE OUR CURRENT PLAN, YEAR 25, 26.
WHAT I SPECIFICALLY WANT TO CALL OUT FIRST IS THE BLUE BO BLUE BOXES, WHICH IS OUR STOP-LOSS REINSURANCE.
SO WE, AGAIN, WE HAVE A SELF-FUNDED HEALTH PLAN, BUT IT'S NOT TRULY SELF-FUNDED.
WE HAVE A CAP ON OUR CLAIMS AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
UH, ANY CLAIM THAT GOES ABOVE THAT IS REIMBURSED THROUGH OUR STOP-LOSS INSURANCE.
THE IDEA BEING IS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THIS, YOUR SELF-FUNDED, YOU CAN BENEFIT FROM IT, BUT WE STILL HAVE A CAP KNOWING WE WON'T HAVE TO PAY OUT UNLIMITED TO INFINITY IF THERE WAS A $10 MILLION CLAIM.
SO, UM, SPECIFIC TO ACK COUNTY EXPERIENCE, YOU'LL SEE IN 24 25, WE PAID PREMIUMS FOR THAT INSURANCE OF $750,000, BUT GOT BACK 3.3 MILLION IN BENEFIT.
SO BECAUSE OF THAT LAST YEAR, ANTHEM INCREASED OUR STOP-LOSS.
50% YOU'LL SEE THIS YEAR, UM, WE'RE UH, EIGHT, EIGHT OUT OF 12 MONTHS THROUGH THE YEAR.
BUT YOU CAN SEE WE'RE ALREADY AT THE SAME LEVEL.
WE'VE PAID IN $767,000 IN PREMIUMS. WE'VE GOTTEN BACK A MILLION DOLLARS IN BENEFITS.
SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS ANTHEM HAS REALLY TOOK IT ON THE CHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND THAT'S BEEN A, THAT'S BEING REFLECTED IN OUR INCREASE OF 20% WE NEED THIS YEAR.
'CAUSE BEHIND THE SCENES WE'VE GOT A RATE CAP INCREASE TO OUR STOP-LOSS THAT WE HAVE TO ABSORB, AND THEN JUST NORMAL INFLATION.
SO THE IDEA BEING THE STOP-LOSS HAS REALLY BENEFITED US THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.
WE'RE ON A BIG SWING OF LARGE CLAIMANTS.
I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN JUST A SECOND.
BUT ANTHEM IS COMING BACK AND ASKING FOR, UM, AN INCREASE.
WE DID MARKET THIS, WE DID A PROCUREMENT PROJECT TO ANALYZE THE MARKETS, BUT UM, THERE WERE NO OTHER BIDDERS DUE TO THIS POOR EXPERIENCE.
THE OTHER THING I'LL CALL OUT, JUST IN GENERAL, THE RED NUMBERS IS YOUR ACTUAL UNIT COST NET COST ON THE, ON THE BACK END.
BUT YOU WILL SEE LAST YEAR THE AVERAGE COST PER EMPLOYEE, THAT'S WHAT PEPM STANDS FOR.
OUR PER EMPLOYEE PER MONTH WAS $1,200.
THIS YEAR IT'S 14% HIGHER AT 1376.
A BIG DRIVER OF THAT WAS OUR STOP-LOSS PREMIUM INCREASE.
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THESE ARE, THESE ARE INCREASES WE'RE SEEING ACROSS THE MARKET AND WE'RE TRYING TO BUDGET FOR THAT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COVERING COSTS NEXT YEAR.SPECIFIC TO OUR LARGE CLAIMANT EXPER EXPERIENCE, YOU GUYS ARE DEFINITELY RUNNING HIGHER THAN WHAT WAS, WHAT WOULD BE EXPECTED FOR YOUR GROUP? SO, UH, I, AGAIN, I WORK FOR GALLAGHER, A LARGE CONSULTING, UM, FIRM.
OUR ACTUARIES PUT TOGETHER TABLES ON WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE THE NUMBER OF CLAIMANTS EXCEEDING CERTAIN THRESHOLDS OF 50,000 A HUNDRED, 200, 300, 500 AND SO ON.
AND WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS CHART HERE IS WHAT IS EXPECTED BASED ON THOSE TABLES ACTUARILY VERSUS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED LAST YEAR IN FY 25 AND SOMEWHAT SIMILAR THIS YEAR.
UM, IT'S NOT AS BAD THIS YEAR, BUT LAST YEAR WAS DEFINITELY THE BAD YEAR.
AND WHAT I'M SHOWING YOU HERE IS, UM, ON THE HIGH END, SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WOULD ONLY EXPECTED TO HAVE 1.2 CLAIMS SURPASS $300,000 LAST YEAR.
SO THINK ABOUT A $300,000 CLAIM THAT WOULD BE A, A CANCER, UM, YOU KNOW, RARE DISEASES LIKE THAT, YOU ACTUALLY HAD SEVEN CLAIMANTS EXCEED.
THAT'S A 483% VARIANCE TO EXPECT IT.
NOW THIS ISN'T GONNA CONTINUE FOREVER, IT'S IMPROVING THIS YEAR, BUT IT DOES SHOW YOU THAT WE'VE HAD THESE LARGE CLAIMANTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STOP-LOSS PROTECTION, BUT STILL ON THE BACKEND, OUR STOP-LOSS CARRIERS SEE THIS EXPERIENCE KNOW THEY'VE PAID OUT WAY MORE THAN THEY BROUGHT IN IN PREMIUM.
AND THUS THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WE'RE SEEING, UM, THE BUDGET INCREASE WE NEED FOR FY 27 TO FULLY FUND OUR PLAN.
SO AGAIN, IN THE RECENT DATA, WE ARE IMPROVING, BUT WE'RE STILL RUNNING HIGHER THAN WHAT THE PREMIUM COMING IN.
THEREFORE THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WE'RE SEEING A LARGER STOP-LOSS INCREASE.
THIS IS JUST A, AN UPDATE OF THE CURRENT SNAPSHOT.
SO THE MONTH, UH, BASICALLY THE DATA THROUGH TWO WEEKS AGO, IT'S INCREASED EVEN FURTHER.
1.3 MILLION IN REIMBURSEMENTS COMING BACK TO, UM, AKIMA COUNTY.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT A FEW OPTIONS TO HELP ADDRESS OUR COST INCREASE FOR 2020.
UH, THE FIRST ONE IS WE DID MAKE A SMALL PLAN CHANGE TO OUR, UM, WE HAVE TWO PLANS IN PLACE, UH, $3,500 DEDUCTIBLE PLAN OR OUT-OF-POCKET PLAN AND A 4,000 OUT-OF-POCKET PLAN.
WE MADE A SLIGHT CHANGE TO, UM, INCREASE THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT BIG GREATER SPREAD, BUT THE REAL SAVINGS ARE LOOKING AT ANTHEM'S HEALTH KEEPERS NETWORK.
SO LET ME BACK UP AND, AND EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU, UM, UM, IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, BUT BASICALLY THE VALUE OF WORKING WITH ANTHEM AS OUR INSURANCE CARE, UH, AT TPA, OUR THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR IS ACCESS TO THEIR NETWORK OF DOCTORS.
SO CURRENTLY WE'RE ON THE REGULAR ANTHEM BLUE CROSS, PPO NATIONWIDE.
UM, BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER NETWORK AVAILABLE TO US THAT HAS A EVEN GREATER DISCOUNT.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS A DISCOUNT OFF OF THE BILL CHARGE.
LET'S SAY YOU GO INTO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE TO GET A SMALL SURGERY.
THE COST OF THE SURGERY IS A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AGAIN, THEY GAVE YOU A 50% DISCOUNT OFF A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
THE HEALTH KEEPER'S NETWORK IS EVEN GREATER DISCOUNT SO THAT MAYBE YOU ACHIEVE A 53% DISCOUNT.
SO INSTEAD OF $500, YOU'RE SPEND SPENDING $450 OR SO.
SO, UM, BY SWITCHING TO HEALTH KEEPERS, IT USED TO BE MORE RESTRICTIVE.
THAT'S WHY WE ARE, WE'RE NOT THERE ALREADY.
IN THE PAST THERE WERE ISSUES WHEN YOU CROSSED STATE LINES AND YOU GUYS BEING RIGHT ON THE BORDER WITH MARYLAND.
WE HAVE EMPLOYEES EVEN IN MARYLAND AND FOLKS THAT SEEK CARE IN MARYLAND.
AND IT USED TO BE THAT YOU CAN ONLY SEEK EMERGENCY CARE WHEN YOU CROSS STATE LINES.
BUT NOW THE WAY IT WORKS WITH HEALTH KEEPERS IS IF YOU SEE DOCTORS IN VIRGINIA, YOU GET THE HEALTH KEEPERS NETWORK, YOU GET THE GOOD DISCOUNT, THE IMPROVED DISCOUNT.
BUT IF YOU NEED TO SEE A PROVIDER THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THE STATE, YOU WOULD JUST ACCESS THE NORMAL BLUE CROSS NETWORK LIKE THEY DO TODAY.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS A RECENT IMPROVEMENT THAT ANTHEM MADE, UM, TO THEIR NETWORK DESIGN.
AND IT ALLOWS US AT ACK COUNTY BEING A COUNTY LOCATED RIGHT ON THE BORDER, UM, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HEALTH KEEPERS NETWORK FOR ALL THE SERVICES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN, UM, UH, VIRGINIA, BUT THEN ALSO HAVE NORMAL COVERAGE FOR ANYONE SEEKING CARE IN ANY OTHER STATE.
SPECIFICALLY MARYLAND WAS OUR FOCUS, BUT IT'S REALLY ANY OTHER STATE AS WELL.
SO THE PROJECTED SAVINGS FROM MOVING THESE NETWORKS IS ABOUT $300,000 ANNUALLY.
UM, THE DISRUPTION, MEANING THE IMPACT TO MEMBERS IS VERY, VERY LOW.
AND WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT IS THE HO WE, WE TOOK A, A FILE OF DATA SPECIFIC TO AKIMA COUNTY AND HAD IT RUN THROUGH THIS HOUSEKEEPER'S ANALYSIS TO TELL US WOULD THERE BE A PROVIDER NOW THAT'S NO LONGER IN NETWORK OR NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO THESE MEMBERS SINCE WE'D BE GOING FROM THE REGULAR BROAD ANTHEM NETWORK TO THE SLIGHTLY MORE NARROW HEALTH KEEPERS NETWORK.
AND YOU COULD SEE HERE THE OVERLAP WAS VERY
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STRONG.THERE'S VERY MINIMAL DISRUPTION.
SO ON THE HOSPITAL PROVIDERS, THEY MATCHED AT A HUNDRED PERCENT.
UM, THEIR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS MATCHED AT 98, ALMOST 99% SPECIALISTS, 98%.
AND THEN, UH, YOU SEE A GRAND TOTAL 98%.
THESE ARE VERY STRONG NUMBERS.
WE DON'T THINK YOU'LL PRE ANY OF YOUR, UH, EMPLOYEES WILL REALLY HAVE ANY ISSUES AT ALL SEEKING COVERAGE.
AND THERE MIGHT BE ONE OR TWO THAT JUST HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR DOCTOR 'CAUSE THAT'S SPECIALISTS THAT THEY SAW IN THE PAST IS NO LONGER IN THAT HEALTH KEEPERS.
BUT AGAIN, VERY, VERY LITTLE DISRUPTION.
THESE ARE VERY STRONG RESULTS COMPARED TO WHAT WE LOOK AT WHEN WE TYPICALLY SEE DISRUPTION.
SO REALLY THERE'S VERY LITTLE IMPACT TO YOUR MEMBERS.
THEY'LL ACCESS, UM, THE SAME PROVIDERS AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO ACCESS PROVIDERS OUTSIDE OF STATE INSIDE THE BLUE CROSS NETWORK.
BUT WE THOUGHT THIS WAS LOW HANGING FRUIT THAT WE HAD AVAILABLE TO US TO HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THE COST INCREASES WE'RE SEEING IN THE MARKET RIGHT NOW.
SO WITH THAT, UM, I'M AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS, BUT OTHERWISE HAPPY TO, UM, TURN IT BACK OVER TO, TO MR. MASON FOR HIS PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU DAVID, FOR THAT, UH, THAT PRESENTATION.
SO, UM, SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT I'M ABOUT TO PRESENT, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME OVERLAP WITH THE INFORMATION THAT DAVID JUST SHARED WITH YOU, SO I'LL BE ABLE TO SKIP THAT.
BUT I DID WANT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, WHY WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT, AND SOME OF THE COMPARISONS, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, BENEFITS BETWEEN HEALTH KEEPERS NETWORK AND THE ANTHEM, UM, KEY CARE PPO NETWORK.
SO, SO QUICKLY, UM, THIS KIND OF LET'S LEVEL SET A BIT, UH, WHY WE UNDERTOOK ALL THIS WORK AND ANALYSIS WAS THE PRELIMINARY, UH, EXPECTED INCREASE IN OUR HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS WAS 28%.
UM, AND THE ROOT CAUSES, AS YOU JUST HEARD, OUR CLAIM HISTORY IS POOR AND OUR GENERAL MEDICAL AND, AND THEN THERE'S THE GENERAL MEDICAL INFLATION.
I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO THESE OTHER POINTS 'CAUSE HE'S JUST COVERED THAT, BUT THAT, THAT'S THE TWO REALLY DRIVING FACTORS OUT THERE.
UM, IN MY OPINION, IT'S, UH, THOSE, THOSE TYPE OF INCREASES ARE UNSUSTAINABLE FOR EMPLOYEES WHEN YOU FACTOR IN PREMIUMS INCREASE 20% LAST YEAR.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT 48%, CLOSE TO 58 PER, UH, 50% OVER TWO YEARS.
AND THEY'RE CERTAINLY, UM, PALATABLE FOR COUNTY TAXPAYERS WHO HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS ITS COST.
SO WE STARTED LOOKING AT OPTIONS.
THE COUNTY BUDGET THAT YOU'LL BE DEBATING, UH, LATER THIS EVENING ANTICIPATES A 20% INCREASE IN PREMIUMS. SO OBVIOUSLY WE'RE EXPECTING, UM, AT LEAST BUILT INTO THE BUDGET AN 8% SAVINGS SOMEHOW.
AND YOU HEARD, UM, DAVID REMARK ABOUT OUR, OUR PREMIUMS, EVEN WITH THIS SHIFT FROM, FROM OUR KEY CARE PRODUCTS OVER TO, TO HEALTH KEEPERS, WE'RE STILL GONNA EXPERIENCE A 20% INCREASE, BUT THAT'S BETTER THAN 28%.
UM, YOU'VE HEARD A LOT FROM MR. UH, UH, FROM FROM DAVID AS, AS HE'S GONE OVER THE TRENDS AND, AND THINGS.
BUT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FOLKS, UM, FOCUSED ON TRYING TO FIND OPTIONS HERE.
UM, MS. UH, CARNY, WHO WHO'S JOINED US IS, WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN, IN REVIEWING THE DATA AND MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS, HER, HER, UM, ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND AND EXPERTISE WAS REALLY BENEFICIAL FOR THIS.
UM, AND ALL THIS WAS BASICALLY DATA GATHERING AND EXAMINATION AND FEEDING ME INFORMATION AND, AND SORT OF THAT BACK AND FORTH TO TRY TO COME UP WITH SOME ALTERNATIVES.
UM, BUT TONIGHT, AS PART OF, UH, THIS AGENDA ITEM WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD TO ENDORSE, IN FACT, SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZE ME TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH ANTHEM, UM, TO SWITCH FROM ANTHEM KEY CARE TO THE ANTHEM HEALTH KEEPERS.
UH, WHAT THAT DOES IS THE FLEXIBILITY, UH, THAT THE HEALTH KEEP NETWORK PROVIDES IS, IS FLEXIBILITY THAT OUR WORKFORCE IS USED TO.
UH, IT HAS, AS, AS WAS SAID EARLIER, IT HAS ACCESS TO ANTHEM'S PPO CARE NETWORK, INCLUDING SPECIALISTS WITHOUT REFERRALS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE USED TO THE ABILITY TO CROSS STATE LINES EASILY.
UH, THE SAME PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT.
UM, THE ACCESS TO ALL THE WELLNESS AND CREDIT, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WE ENJOY RIGHT NOW THROUGH THE, THE SYDNEY
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APP AND, AND KEY CARE THINGS LIKE, UM, UH, CASH BACK FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR, UM, THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES.WELLNESS PROGRAMS. AND THERE'S NO DEDUCTIBLE, RIGHT? YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS OF A CERTAIN AMOUNT BEFORE INSURANCE STARTS KICKING IN.
SO ALL THOSE THINGS THEY'RE SAYING, THEY'RE ALL, THEY'RE ALL SIMILAR, NOT ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME BETWEEN THE TWO PLANS.
UH, THE DISRUPTION IMPACT WAS, WAS REVIEWED A FEW MONTHS AGO.
THAT'S A BIG FACTOR IN TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT, WHAT OPTIONS ARE THE BEST FIT FOR FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES.
UM, THIS IS, UH, AGAIN, UH, THE KEY FEATURES COMPARISON.
IT WAS COVERED, UH, WITH DAVID'S PRESENTATION, BUT, UH, THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LOOKED AT DIRECT COMPARISONS ON A, A LOT OF ITEMS TO SEE IT, YOU KNOW, DETERMINE WHETHER THIS IS A GOOD FIT FOR US OR NOT.
SO AGAIN, IF, IF WE DO SWITCH, THERE'S ABOUT A 300,000 SAVINGS FROM GOING FROM OUR CURRENT PRODUCT TO, TO HEALTH KEEPERS, THAT'S 8%.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE EXPECTING 28%, WE CAN BRING IT DOWN TO 20%, UH, IF, IF WE MAKE THIS A CHANGE, BUT AGAIN, IT'S STILL A 20% INCREASE.
LET'S NOT FORGET THAT THIS, THIS IS GOING TO COST EMPLOYEES QUITE A BIT.
UM, WE ARE STILL FACING A SUBSTANTIAL PREMIUM INCREASE LARGELY DUE TO OUR, OUR POOR CLAIM HISTORY.
SO THE, THE ONLY THING THAT, UH, DAVID DIDN'T GO, I DID TAKE, AND THIS WAS INCLUDED ON THE AGENDA AS A SEPARATE ATTACHMENT, BUT WE DID TAKE, UM, AND DO SOME PLAN COMPARISONS.
WHAT WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IS RIGHT NOW THE COUNTY, UH, IN OUR KEY CARE PRODUCTS, WE HAVE A HIGH PLAN AND LOW PLAN.
ONE'S CALLED 15, ONE'S CALLED 20.
UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TWO PLANS WHEN WE MOVE TO HEALTH KEEPERS, IF THAT'S WHAT THE BOARD APPROVES.
UM, WE WILL CALL THEM PLATINUM AND GOLD AT THAT POINT.
BUT THIS IS A COMPARISON OF TAKING OUR CURRENT HIGH PLAN, WHICH IS THE KEY CARE 15, AND THEN COMPARING IT TO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING AS THE HIGH PLAN FOR HEALTH KEEPERS.
AND YOU CAN SEE FOR INSTANCE, UM, FOR, FOR, WE'LL START WITH THE EXTREMES.
AN EMPLOYEE ONLY ONE, SOMEONE WHO HAS JUST, WHO JUST INSURES THEMSELVES, UM, CURRENTLY PAYS $187 A MONTH, UM, TOWARDS THE COVERAGE.
IF WE MOVE TO HEALTH KEEPERS, IF THEY ELECT THAT PLATINUM PROGRAM, THE HIGH PLAN, THEY'LL BE PAYING $225 PER MONTH.
AND THE EXTREMES ARE, ARE LARGER.
WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT THE FAMILY PLAN, CURRENTLY PAYING $902 PER MONTH, IF WE SHIFT TO HEALTH KEEPERS AND THEY GO WITH THE HIGH PLAN, THEY WOULD, IT WOULD MOVE UP TO, UH, 1,008.
SO $188 INCREASE ROUGHLY, UM, RIGHT THERE.
UH, ONE THING TO PAY ATTENTION TO IS THIS OUT-OF-POCKET MAXIMUM.
OUR CURRENT OUT-OF-POCKET MAXIMUM IS, UH, 3,500 FOR AN INDIVIDUAL AND 7,000 FOR A FAMILY.
IT STAYS THE SAME WITH THE, UM, UNDER THE PLATINUM HEALTH KEEPERS PLAN.
BUT WHEN WE SWITCH OVER AND WE LOOK AT AT THE LOW PLAN, THAT IS WHERE WE HAVE CHANGED, UM, THAT OUT-OF-POCKET MAXIMUM.
SO THE CURRENT LOW PLAN KEY CARE 20 THAT EMPLOYEES CAN PICK TODAY HAS A MAXIMUM OUT OF POCKET OF 4,000 AND 8,000.
UM, THE NEW PLAN, UM, THE NEW LOW PLAN, WHICH WILL BE HEALTH KEEPERS, WILL HAVE AN OUT-OF-POCKET MAXIMUM OF 5,000, 10,000.
AND THE REASON THAT WAS PURSUED IS ONE OF MY LONG ISSUES WITH OUR CURRENT OPTIONS WAS THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH SPREAD BETWEEN THE HIGH PLAN AND THE LOW PLAN.
IF YOU CHOSE THE LOW PLAN, YOU LITERALLY ONLY SAVED $20 A MONTH.
AND SO WHERE WE'RE ERRING ON WITH THIS CHANGE IS TRYING TO MAKE THAT LOW PLAN THE COST LOWER SO THAT MORE PEOPLE CAN AFFORD IT AND PERHAPS MORE PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO STAY WITHIN THE PLAN BECAUSE IT'S BECOMING HARDER AND HARDER AND HARDER FOR THIS WORKFORCE TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD, UM, $986 ON THE LOW PLAN PER MONTH IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY PLAN.
SO EVERY EFFORT WAS MADE TO TRY TO MAKE THAT, THAT PLAN CHEAPER, UH, NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF QUALITY, BUT SOME CONCESSIONS HAD TO BE MADE.
AND THE ONLY CONCESSION THAT WAS MADE WAS CHANGING THIS.
SO, AGAIN, IF, IF, AND AGAIN, I'M, I'M COMPARING OUR CURRENT LOW PLAN WITH, WITH HEALTH KEEPERS.
IF AN EMPLOYEES WAS ON THE LOW PLAN TODAY, THEY WOULD BE PAYING $881
[00:25:01]
IF IT WAS A FAMILY PLAN.UM, IF WE GO WITH HEALTH KEEPERS, IT'LL BE 986.
SO IT'S ABOUT A HUNDRED DOLLARS DIFFERENCE EVEN, EVEN AFTER WE MAKE ALL THESE CHANGES.
UH, THIS WAS MY SHAME THAT THAT WAS ALL ON A, UH, ON HEALTH INSURANCE.
AND THEN I JUST WENT STRAIGHT INTO A SHAMELESS PLUG FOR THE CHILI COOKOFF THAT WAS, UH, OCCURRING AT THE END OF THIS WEEK.
UM, BUT AT, AT THIS POINT, UH, AGAIN, IT STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION TO, TO MOVE TO THE HEALTH KEEPERS, UM, PLAN AND, AND STAFF ASKED FOR THE BOARD TO AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR INTO A CONTRACT TO THAT EFFECT.
OF COURSE, SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY THE COUNTY ATTORNEY.
DID MR. HART, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.
UH, BASICALLY IF WE CHOSE TO KEEP THE SAME PLAN, WE HAVE TO FIND $300,000 TO PLUG INTO THIS DRAFT BUDGET, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
AND IF WE GO TO THE, THE PLAN THAT YOU ARE RECOMMENDING, IT WILL COST THE EMPLOYEES $100 LESS THAN IT WOULD BE IF WE STAYED WITH A HIGHER PLAN EACH MONTH, CORRECT? YEAH, WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO IN THAT SITUATION.
OKAY, MR. HUT, UM, WHEN YOU SAY THE A HUNDRED DOLLARS DIFFERENCE, IT'LL COST THEM A HUNDRED DOLLARS MORE.
WAS THAT PER PAYCHECK OR WAS THAT PER MONTH? THIS I'M, I'M FOCUSED ON PER MONTH.
ALL THESE COLUMNS RIGHT HERE ARE PER MONTH.
SO THAT'S, SO IT'S NOT PER PAYCHECK PER PER MONTH.
JUST, JUST FOR THE RECORD, MR. MASON, WHO EXACTLY ARE THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PLAN FROM THE COUNTY? THERE ARE, UM, WELL GENERALLY IT'S ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES, YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, UH, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICE, THE REGISTRAR.
WE HAVE ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, PARTICIPATE IN THE PLAN.
UM, SHORE AREA AGENCY ON AGING, THE A-M-P-D-C, SO ON WATER CONSERVATION LIBRARY, AND I'M PROBABLY LEAVING SOMEONE OUT, BUT THAT'S BASICALLY THE GROUP, THE SPLIT, IF YOU LOOK AT HOW WE, WE HAVE ROUGHLY WHEN YOU COUNT DEPENDENTS INTO THE PLAN, I THINK WAS IT 500 AND SOME? I THINK THAT WAS ON ONE, ONE OF THE SLIDES, OVER 500 PARTICIPANTS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PLAN SPLIT, UM, THERE'S ROUGHLY 260 OF, THERE'S ROUGHLY 350 EMPLOYEES PARTICIPATING.
PLAN, 260 OF 'EM ARE CHOOSING THE HIGH PLAN.
UM, THE REST OF 'EM ARE CHOOSING THE LOW PLAN.
JUST ONE QUICK FOLLOW UP, JUST CURIOUS THOUGH, 'CAUSE I DON'T THINK IT WOULD NOT BE SOMETHING TO EXPORT THIS TIME, BUT WOULD THERE BE A BENEFIT IN THE FUTURE OF COMBINING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM'S HEALTH, THE HEALTHCARE WITH THE COUNTIES WE HAVE EXPLORED THAT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW UNLESS WE PUT ON RFP? WE HAVE DONE THAT IN THE PAST.
IT HASN'T BEEN RECENTLY, BUT WE DID.
UH, AND THIS CAME UP EARLIER IN THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE, COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT FRANKLY BACK THEN, WHAT WE WERE TOLD WHEN WE GOT THE RESULTS, WHICH WERE HIGHER THAN EITHER, THAN CERTAINLY WHAT THE COUNTY WAS PAYING AT THE TIME, WAS, WAS THE, UH, SCHOOLS WERE YOUNGER AND SICK MORE OFTEN, AND WE WERE OLDER AND SICK, MORE SEVERELY
SO WHEN YOU PUT US ALL IN THE SAME POOL, THINGS DIDN'T LOOK GOOD.
UM, NOW I DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS THESE DAYS, BUT, UM, BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES.
UM, ANOTHER SIMILAR QUESTION THAT, THAT CAME OUT, A QUESTION POSED BY THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE WAS WHAT, WHAT OTHER OPTIONS FOR ECONOMIES OF SCALE HAVE BEEN LOOKED AT IN THE PAST? WELL, UM, OUTSIDE OF THAT, THE, THE STATE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO DID TRY TO STAND UP, UH, A PROGRAM THAT WOULD CATER TO WHATEVER LOCALITIES WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE, UH, TO, TO BRING COSTS DOWN.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THAT SCENARIO WAS THE, ALL THE LOCALITIES THAT HAD, UM, POSITIVE TRENDS IN THEIR COST ELECTED TO STAY OUT AND STAY ON THEIR OWN, THOSE WHO HAVE BAD TRENDS WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NEW PRODUCT.
AND SO YOU HAD A LOT OF, UH, YOU HAD A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS COMING UP WITH BAD CLAIM HISTORY, AND THAT PRODUCED, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE, IT PRODUCED HIGHER COST, UM, THAN WHAT WE WERE EXPECTED.
SO, UH, AT LEAST TODAY, THE, THE, UH, ALL OF OUR, ALL OF OUR, ALL OF THE OPTIONS WE'VE EXPLORED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE HAVE NOT YIELDED THE FRUIT THAT WE, WE, WE WOULD'VE HOPED.
BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE NEED TO STOP TRYING.
UM, THERE'LL BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, BUT, UM, IN ANY CASE THAT, I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
MADAM CHAIR, AM I CORRECT IN SEEING THIS CORRECTLY? UH, IF YOU STAY WITH THE ORIGINAL PLAN, WE, WE WOULD LIKE 28% VERSUS
[00:30:01]
GOING THIS PLAN 20%.SO THERE, THE 8% SAVINGS, 8% SAVINGS ON WHAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN HAD WE STAYED ON THE OLD PLAN.
THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO THANK YOU.
IT'S JUST ONE, JUST TO OFFER A LITTLE BIT MORE COMMENTARY.
WE, WE SAY, YEAH, WE'RE SAVING 8%, BUT REALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE EMPLOYEE'S WALLET IS THEY'RE STILL ANY MORE, MORE THAN THEY WOULD HAVE LAST YEAR.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS? I JUST, UM, I DIDN'T KNOW IF, I KNOW YOU DISCUSSED IT WITH THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE, BUT I'LL ADJUST WITH THE DE UM, YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS.
UM, HAS THAT BEEN IN THE DISCUSSION WITH THEM AS TO WHAT WERE SOME OF THEIR FEELINGS? YEAH, WE'VE, UM, THIS MATTER'S BEEN DISCUSSED WITH THE COUNTY'S LEADERSHIP TEAM.
WE'VE SENT, I'VE SENT OUT EMAILS TO THE WORKFORCE, MULTIPLE ONES.
UM, I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE AND I TOOK IT TO THE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE.
UM, I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY NEGATIVE FEEDBACK TO THE STATE.
I HAVE RECEIVED QUESTIONS FROM DSS STAFF THAT I'VE RESPONDED TO, UM, AND, AND WHO ACCEPTED THE ANSWERS AND JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE, FRANKLY, THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT ALL OPTIONS THAT WE COULD GOTCHA.
AND SO I EXPLAINED THAT I'VE RECEIVED, UM, EMAILS FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND, UM, I'VE, I'VE TRIED TO KEEP FOLKS AWARE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND, AND THE APPROACHES AND AVENUES WE'VE BEEN EXPLORING.
AND, UM, ONCE THE BOARD MAKES ITS FINAL DECISION, THAT'LL PROBABLY BE ANOTHER EMAIL TO THE WORKFORCE ANNOUNCING, UM, WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHAT WE'VE, WHAT THE BOARD IS, UH, EVENTUALLY ADOPTED.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? IF NOT, I'LL INTEND TO ENTERTAIN A MASON MOTION.
I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION CHAIR.
UH, MR. UH, MR. MASON, DO WE NEED A SEPARATE VOTE ON THE INSURANCE OR IF, OR IF WE VOTE ON THE BUDGET ITSELF? IS THAT ALL WE NEED? I, I THINK YOU NEED A SPECIFIC VOTE ON THE INSURANCE.
WE ACCEPT STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION WITH, UH, HOUSEKEEPER'S GOAL 20, INCLUDING BOOT, UH, BASIC VISION.
SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVING PROPERLY.
SECOND THAT WE WILL ENTER A NEW CONTRACT, UH, WITH ANTHEM, WITH THE HELP ANTHEM HELP KEEPERS, UH, AND ALL THAT IT ENTAILS.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, FAVOR LET IT BE KNOWN BY AYE.
UM, I GUESS WE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH THE FY COUNTER BUDGET AND TAX, UM, SETTINGS.
WE HAVE ANY MORE? ARE YOU GONNA LEAVE THAT MR. MASON? THANK YOU.
UM, THIS AGENDA ITEM IS ON THERE.
UM, IN CASE YOU WANTED TO CONTINUE TO MAKE CHANGES TO, UH, THE COUNTY'S BUDGET TAX RATES, UM, ANY OF THE, UH, CHANGES TO COUNTY CODE THAT WERE PROPERLY ADVERTISED OR THE CIP IF YOU DO NOT, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WHICH IS 2.3 STAFF, UH, THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT PUT TOGETHER AN APPROPRIATION BUDGET RESOLUTION.
UM, IT HAS ALL THE NECESSARY, UH, LANGUAGE IN IT THAT WOULD, IF YOU APPROVED IT WOULD PROVE THE BUDGET AS ADVERTISED WITH THE CHANGE TO FUND TTB THAT'S BEEN INCLUDED IN BASED ON THE BOARD'S DIRECTION FROM THE LAST MEETING.
UH, SO THAT IT WOULD INCLUDE THAT IT WOULD BE THE TAX RATES THAT WE ADVERTISED, THE CIP THAT WE ADVERTISED, AND, UM, THE AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 38 84 AND APPENDIX A OF COUNTY CODE.
DO WE HAVE ANY MORE COMMENTS ON THE BUDGET? CAN I SAY SOME COMMENTS? SURE.
CHANGE ANYTHING NOW I JUST WANNA MAKE SOME COMMENTS AT OUR PUBLIC HEARING.
WE HAD TWO GENTLEMEN SPEAK ON SOMETHING OTHER THAN TRANSLATOR TV,
AND, UM, IT'S ON THAT CODE THAT COME OUT IN 2024 WITH THE AQUACULTURE BEING ABLE TO HAVE A TAX BREAK IF THEY MET THE REQUIREMENTS OF BEING UNDER FIVE ACRES.
WELL, I'M INTO THE, A QUARTER OF MY 11TH YEAR ON HERE AND ON THE BOARD.
AND OUR GOAL, OUR MOTIVATION, OUR COMMITMENT, WHATEVER, IS TREATING ALL OUR CITIZENS AND BUSINESSES FAIRLY AS WE CAN AND SOMETIMES EVEN THE SAME.
AND SINCE THE WATERMEN CAULKED UP ALL THE SHELLFISH AROUND HERE, THEY'VE HAD TO START GROWING THEIR OWN.
AND IT'S, UH, IT'S A COSTLY, COSTLY
[00:35:01]
VENTURE.UH, FOR YEARS, EVER SINCE THERE'S BEEN FARMING ON THE, IN THE COUNTY, THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING A PERCENTAGE OF A TAX BREAK.
UM, AND I FEEL THAT MAYBE STAFF CAN TAKE THIS YEAR AND REALLY GET A GOOD HANDLE ON WHAT THAT CODE IS.
UH, MR. HURTLE, I GREW UP WITH HIM.
I'LL NEVER SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT HIM, BUT HE HAD A LOT ON HIM THIS YEAR WITH ASSESSMENTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND BEING, UH, OVERBURDENED AND UNDERSTAFFED LIKE MOST OF THE COUNTY STAFF HERE IS, UH, WE JUST GOT A, BASICALLY A LITTLE THING ABOUT WHAT THE CODE SAID, NOT REALLY HAVE ANYTHING WE COULD DO.
SO, UH, IT'S, IT'S MY RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD THAT THEY WON'T GO ALONG WITH ME, JUST HAVE STAFF STUDY THIS AND SEE WHAT CAN GO ON.
BECAUSE AS MR. HART TELLS US ALL THE TIME, ANYTHING COMES FROM RICHMOND, IT'S ABOUT AS CLEAR AS MUD
I KNOW IT'S, I WOULDN'T EVEN ASK.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S FIVE BUSINESSES IN A COMEBACK COUNTY THAT COULD QUALIFY.
THREE OF 'EM ARE ON TI, THE OTHER ONE IS ON TAR HILL ROAD IN IN C**K.
AND THEN NAN DO A SELECT IS IN HACKS NECK.
LIKE MR. CLARK SAID, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF MONEY, BUT ANYTHING HELPS.
AND HERE ON OUR, IN OUR COUNTY, THE ONLY THING THAT, UH, MOST THE FARMERS GROW IS TO FEED CHICKENS.
WHEN IT COMES, IT COMES IN OFF THE WATER AND I PUT IT ON THE POT.
ARE YOU MAKING A MOTION? I'M MAKING A MOTION WITH STAFF.
COME BACK WITH US NEXT BUDGET YEAR.
SECOND, UH, THAT WE WOULD ASK STAFF TO DO A STUDY AS FAR AS THE CODE, UH, WITH THE AGRICULTURE AQUA CULTURE.
UM, AND THAT STAFF WOULD LOOK FURTHER IN THAT AND, AND TRY TO HAVE SOMETHING READY FOR US BY NEXT YEAR.
IS THAT SUFFICE? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THAT MOTION? IF NOT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? LET BE KNOWN BY AYE.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED? AND THAT MOTION HAS CARRIED.
MAY I CHAIR MR. CROCKETT? I HAVE A MOTION IF YOU ENTERTAIN.
I THINK WE'RE READY FOR THAT MOTION.
I'M SO, I'M SORRY, MR. I'M SORRY.
BEFORE YOU MADE THAT MOTION, MS. JOHNSON.
AND SHE TOLD ME, I'M SORRY AND SHE TOLD ME BEFOREHAND TOO.
MS. JOHNSON? YES, MR. CROCKER, BEFORE I MAKE THAT MOTION, BECAUSE I WORK FOR ACUMEN COUNTY, I HAVE A PERSONAL INTEREST IN APPROPRIATE OF THE FFY 27 BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE EXTENT TO CONCERN ACUMEN COUNTY EMPLOYEES SALARY AND BENEFITS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT I'M ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE MATTERS UNDER VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 2.2 DASH 3 1 12 B ONE.
BECAUSE I'M A MEMBER OF A PROFESSION, OCCUPATION, OR GROUP OF THREE OR MORE PERSONS AFFECTED BY THESE TRANSACTIONS, I'M ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TRANSACTIONS FAIRLY OBJECTIVELY AND IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS, I, UM, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE ATTACHED RESOLUTION, ADOPT AN FY 27 COUNTY BUDGET, CY 26 TAX RATES AND FY 27 2 31 CIP AND AMENDMENTS, DIMA COUNTY CODE SECTION 38 DASH 84 AND APPENDIX A SECOND.
THERE WAS LOT, IT'S MOVED AND PROPERLY.
SECOND, THAT WE WOULD APPROVE DIMA COUNTY FISCAL YEAR 2027, CALENDAR YEAR TAX RATES FY 27 THROUGH 30 CIP, AND THE AMENDMENTS TO THE ACK COUNTY CODE SESSION 38 THROUGH 84 AND APPENDIX A.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, LET IT BE KNOWN BY AYE.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED? AND THAT MOTION HAS CARRIED.
MADAM CHAIRMAN, I'M MOVED TO ADJOURN.
SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECOND, THAT WE ADJOURN.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR LET IT BE KNOWN BY AYE.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED AND THE MOTION HAS CARRIED.