County to save on health insurance [The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.]

Sep. 20—Boone County Commissioners on Monday commended the county's human resources director for saving more than $2 million in employee health insurance costs for 2023.

Megan Smith on Monday asked commissioners to lock in a price quoted by APEX Insurance Service Monday. Jeff Wolfe and Tom Santelli both approved the move. Commissioner Dan Lawson was absent.

Smith worked with APEX to drive down county employee health and prescription service costs, "and get better health coverage for employees," Santelli said.

Before Smith worked with the insurance company, the county's healthcare costs were projected to increase by more than a 12% next year, but now they are projected to decrease by more than 10%, Santelli added.

Zionsville soccer

Commissioners rejected a preliminary request to close C.R. 700 E. in the area of C.R. 550 S. for three days in October for Socctoberfest.

Socctoberfest is a Zionsville Youth Soccer Association tournament that will bring more than 200 soccer teams to town. Boone County Highway Director Nick Parr told commissioners that public health authorities must sign off on the closure before he would bring a formal request to them.

Parr and commissioners agreed the area is not large enough to accommodate the number of vehicles associated with that many teams, players and family members, and that pedestrians are already often in danger as they park off site and walk across the street to regular games.

Boone County Sheriff Mike Nielsen told commissioners he spoke with Zionsville Fire Chief James VanGorder Monday morning, and the two agreed that a road closure would substantially delay fire department response times to emergency situations elsewhere. The fire station sits across the street from the soccer fields.

Nielsen said he and his staff also do not support closing the road for the event due to delayed response times and public safety concerns.

Commissioners told Parr they will not allow the road closure.

Other business

In other business, commissioners:

* Approved a $229,000 bid from a company that will repair and restore limestone at the county's Key Bank building;

* Learned that Kissel Road at Oak Street in Zionsville will be closed for about 90 days beginning in summer for construction of a new roundabout; and

* Learned that C.R. 200 S. at C.R. 125 W. will have lane restrictions later this week during micro-resurfacing.

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