Commissioners establish employee health insurance committee in 2-1 vote

VINCENNES — The Knox County Commissioners created and established an employee health insurance committee in a 2-1 vote during the first meeting of the month Tuesday, Commissioner Kellie Streeter voted no.

Commissioner TJ Brink said that at the last meeting they talked some about establishing a committee to look over the county's employee health insurance from top to bottom to see if there are opportunities for better coverage — especially the family plan.

Streeter explained her no vote and stated that she was not made aware of who was leading the committee, who was appointed and why, how often they would meet, and other details before voting.

Brink responded that Commissioner Tim Ellerman II would be the commissioner appointed, along with the board's attorney, Andrew Porter, to be the two leading the committee. From there, Brink said he and Porter reached out to various, larger departments and the heads of those departments for a recommendation of who would serve best on the committee.

The first of the 10 appointments was Chyanne Grogan from judicial in a 2-1 vote.

Shane McGregor from the highway department was approved with a 3-0, Streeter confirming with the department the appointment had been discussed. Also approved in a 3-0 vote was Cameron Carr and Michael Kohlhouse from the Knox County Sheriff's Office, and James Reese with probation.

Beth Worland from the courthouse was approved in a 2-1 vote. Streeter voted no and stated that she would have liked to speak with Worland beforehand.

Ellerman II and Porter were appointed in 3-0 votes, but Streeter said she was not sure why Porter would be appointed, but instead be there with the role of advising.

The last two appointments will be two members of the Knox County Council and made at the next meeting.

After appointments were voted on, Streeter "respectfully requested" that the next time a committee is established with policy, standards and appointments, she be notified of the process.

David Shelton, Knox County Clerk, spoke during public comment and stated that the new employee health insurance committee was improperly instituted, later adding that many county boards require political parity by code and statute, but at no time did Brink contact him to identify the voting history of any appointed board member.

Brink talked about the process further, explaining the process of reaching out to departments with larger amounts of employees and asking the heads of who they would recommend on the committee.

"At the end of the day, this is about our employees and well being. And so, how do we find an insurance plan that is equal to or better than what we have at a lower cost?" Brink said.

Knox County Council appointments are scheduled to be made at the next meeting, May 13. From there, Ellerman II and Porter will determine dates and times for the committee to meet.

The next commissioner meeting is set for May 20.