Commissioners Seek Charter Changes

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At last Thursday’s workshop, the Board of Commissioners hammered out a list changes to the charter. Some of the items on the list included policies that were initially absent from the charter, such as an Indigent Burial Policy, while others involved items such as bid requirements for county services.Early in the meeting, Commission Chair J.C. Sanford said he would approve a $600 allotment for an Indigent Burial Policy. Currently, Gilmer County has no such policy, although the policy is common enough. Sanford said he and Finance Officer Faye Harvey have done some research into the matter, comparing policies from some of the surrounding counties. Harvey said that Fannin has an arrangement where it has a policy of $250. An Indigent Policy is designed to assist families of the deceased who do not have the financial means to pay for burial costs. Indigent Burial policies also include the cost of body bags, which are used to transport cadavers to Atlanta in cases of contamination or other similar situations. Although Chairman Sanford approved a $600 allotment, the board later decided on a $350 limit policy.

The board then went through a list of products and services bid requirements. Here, the board discussed product and services bids from office supplies to computers. However, the highpoint of the talk seemed to be health insurance, when Matt Bidwell, a MSI insurance broker employed by the county, addressed the board. Bidwell works on behalf of the county, negotiating with insurance companies for the best policy plans for county employees. He explained that the county is part of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG). According to its website,

“the ACCG works to ensure that the counties can provide leadership services and programs to meet the health safety and welfare needs of their citizens.”

Bidwell further explained that Gilmer, as part of ACCG, uses the services of Blue Cross Blue Shield. However, due to the pooling structure of the program, Blue Cross could not guarantee a rate for the second half of 2012, he said. This means that the other option for the county is to shop its insurance policies. Bidwell warned, though, that if the county shops, meaning negotiate, its policy, Blue Cross Blue Shield may not be able to guarantee a rate by January 1st, the desired renewal date for the county. The discussion eventually circled back to the charter, specifically which services should be considered exemptions and which services should not be considered exemptions. In this context, an exempted service means that it is exempt from a request for proposal (RFP) each year. This means that the county uses the same vendor from year to year, until the board decides to change the arrangement. As the talk wound down, the board resolved to gather more information about the insurance programs and which services should be considered exempt in the charter. As such, the board took no official action on the matter

The board also gave an update on the progress of the Clear Creek Ball Field. Due to cost restraints, the board moved toward completing the field, although only with the necessary requirements to make the field functional. This means that when finished the field will have mulch, grass, gravel and pavement for the parking lot and a septic system, the bare essentials, where the initial plan was to have lights, fences and concession stands. According to Director of Community Development Jim Smith, the estimated cost of the bare essentials for the field is $60,000. Chairman Sanford mentioned that the county will receive a donation of $45,000 from Amicalola Electric Company, but suggested they save that money to use at a later date. Commenting on a schedule for the field, Sanford also said that they should consider sowing the seed for the field in a few weeks to coincide with the growing season. The board seemed resolved to get the field up and running with the bare essentials, but it made no official decision on the issue.

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