County Council to hear Community Relations presentation, consider insurance changes

Oct. 09--Aiken County Council will hear a presentation from its Community Relations Council and consider changes in health insurance for County employees Tuesday at the Aiken County Government Center.

A special work session will begin at 6 p.m. and a special meeting is scheduled to follow at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.

In January 2016, County Council passed an ordinance to create the Community Relations Council, or CRC. It replaced the inactive Human Relations Commission, which had been formed in 1991.

According to the ordinance, the purpose of CRC was to foster "strong community-wide relationships."

County Councilwoman Camille Furgiuele, who represents District 2, told the Aiken Standard that the CRC would provide County residents with opportunities to discuss quality of life issues and that CRC would serve as Council's "eyes and ears."

CRC has nine members -- one from each of the County's eight districts and a member-at-large. Its chairman is Scott Singer.

In March, April and May of last year, CRC held a series of public hearings in North Augusta, Wagener, Aiken, Jackson and Graniteville.

Approximately 100 people attended those events, and they were asked to complete surveys.

In an Executive Summary of those hearings that CRC will present to County Council, there is a section that focuses on the common concerns expressed during those meetings.

They included problems related to litter, a desire for better recycling services, roads in need of repair and stormwater drainage issues, improved Internet services for rural areas and expansion of library services.

College students and other attendees asked for more development around USC Aiken that would increase housing, entertainment and food and beverage options.

Participants also wanted more law enforcement and more timely emergency medical services.

"At almost every meeting, someone expressed the need for an economic renaissance for the County," according to the Executive Summary. "Consensus was the County needed to work harder to attract new businesses with higher paying jobs into the community, and to partner with the schools and colleges to keep young, qualified citizens here."

The Executive Summary described the operation of the Aiken County Public School District as "one of the most highly contested issues" during the hearings.

"Most people felt the school district was not responsive to parents," according to the Executive Summary. "There were stories of bullying, drugs, constant fighting and disruptions, and through it all, they believe the school district and school board has (sic) been silent. Specifically mentioned was that teachers are afraid to speak out about their concerns. Citizens are aware of the importance of a good education, but are concerned about the ability of the children to obtain one in the public schools."

CRC's presentation Tuesday will take place during Council's special work session.

County employee health insurance will be discussed during the special work session, and a resolution authorizing County Administrator Clay Killian to "adjust the benefit plans for Aiken County employees after discussion and direction from County Council" is on the special meeting's agenda. The resolution is identified as a consent agenda item.

County Human Resources Director Gayle Wolman told the Aiken Standard that the County's health insurance provider, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, wanted to increase the County's premium renewal rate by 21.6 percent. But after negotiations, BlueCross BlueShield reduced the hike to 16 percent, Wolman said.

During a presentation to Council during the work session before its regularly scheduled Sept. 19 meeting, Wolman discussed some options for dealing with the premium renewal rate increase and better managing health insurance's rising cost in general.

They included raising the amounts paid by County employees for their coverage, expanding the County's wellness clinic to provide more services and increasing the nicotine surcharge for users of tobacco products.

If Council decides to increase the cost of insurance for employees, Killian told the Aiken Standard that he and his staff would recommend using the savings generated for the County to raise workers' salaries to help offset the extra expense.

Dede Biles is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since January 2013. A native of Concord, N.C, she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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