County going with local insurance provider to save money

Grady County Commissioners approved this week shifting county workers’ compensation insurance from a statewide self-insured pool to being managed by a local insurance agency.

Southern Insurance of Cairo representatives Chuck Thomas, Dustin Thomas and Hansel Bearden previously presented a proposal in an attempt to get the county’s business.

Further examination of the proposal from the local agency and comparisons to the self-insured pool managed by Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Grady County Administrator J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III, recommended this week the board go with the local agency.

According to Johnson, Southern Insurance’s quote of $169,106 annual premium is approximately $20,000 less than what the county has been paying in premium into ACCG’s self-insurance workers’ compensation fund.

Chuck Thomas of Southern Insurance told county commissioners Tuesday morning that he and his agency would work to better manage the county’s workers’ compensation plan and thereby reduce costs even more. Thomas said Southern Insurance would work with the county to manage its many small claims. “We will report all of them to put the carrier on notice, but on your smaller claims we will pay them. However, if down the road something comes up, you’re covered,” Thomas said.

The local insurance broker said his goal was to save the county an additional $20,000 off its workers’ compensation insurance expense.

“I like doing business with local people, myself,” Commissioner June Knight said Tuesday.

Commissioner Phillip Drew requested additional information before accepting Chuck Thomas’ recommendation to go with a $2,500 deductible rather than a $1,000 deductible.

However, Drew offered a motion to proceed to put ACCG on notice and move forward with the transition and make the deductible decision later.

“It is highly unusual for an account this size not to have at least a $2,500 deductible,” Chuck Thomas said.

In other business Tuesday morning, the board:

‰Set the qualifying fees for the 2020 election cycle for local offices. The qualifying fees established will be: Sheriff – $1,779.87; Probate Judge – $1,491.65; Magistrate – $1,491.65; Clerk of Court – $1,491.65; Tax Commissioner – $1,491.65; Coroner – $108; County Commissioner, Dists. 1, 3 & 4 – $179; and Board of Education, Districts 1, 3 & 4 – $18.

‰Approved jointly applying for the FY2020 Community Home Investment Program (CHIP) grant with the City of Cairo. Proceeds from the grant can be used for homeowner rehabilitation assistance and new construction assistance. The maximum award the county and city could anticipate is $306,000. The city and county would split the $9,500 administrative fee for the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission to manage the grant.

‰Authorized the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission to file a grant application with the Georgia Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation for a Public Transportation Assistance grant. The grant is used to fund the public transit shuttles that operate here and in other southwest Georgia communities. There is no cost to the county for this service, according to Johnson.

‰Approved the low bid of $28,000 from Wilkes Concrete of Moultrie for the purchase and installation of 10’ x 5’ box culvert wing wall and apron on Pine Hill Road, which has been damaged and erosion could eventually cause the crossing to be compromised. The county also received a bid of $66,350 from Southern Concrete Construction Company of Albany.