County OKs new health insurance contract

Aug. 01--The Reno County Commission on Tuesday approved a new contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas for continued employee health insurance coverage, and then OK'd a land swap to serve sewer improvements in The Highlands.

The insurance contract means no increase in premiums for county employees, while deductibles also remained the same.

"We're very fortunate to have these rates, since the last I heard rates nationally are going up 8 to 9 percent," said Commission Chairman Dan Deming. "We've had no increase or very low ones for the last five or six years. A lot of credit goes to employees, for how they handle insurance."

"We are very fortunate," agreed Human Resources Director Renee Hughes, who worked with Blue Cross and a consultant on the plan.

The land swap involves 20 acres on a section of land east of The Highlands, where effluent from the subdivision's wastewater lagoons will be pumped once improvements to the sewer system are completed.

Bruce and Taunus Chavis bought the property from an individual the county was previously working with, said Public Works Director David McComb, and asked to switch which land is involved in the deal with the county.

"We had two issues," McComb said. "One parcel to the east has larger trees in the area. It will cost the (sewer) district more to remove those. But also, the property owner uses the property for hunting and wanted to see if they could save the grove of trees there."

So, an original 10 acres will remain in the agreement, but 10 acres due east of that will be switched instead with 10 acres due south for effluent application.

"It will save $20,000 to $25,000 just clearing and grubbing the area," McComb said. "There are still some (trees) on the south, but not nearly as much and they're not as large... It's a good thing for both the sewer district and the property owner."

"It's hard to think of any reason we wouldn't do this," Deming said.

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