Pet health insurance now available to Brown County employees

Aug. 08--Brown County employees now have the option of adding pet insurance to their policies, as long as it comes at no cost to the county.

Human Resources Director Gary Vetter told commissioners during today's meeting that a few employees have approached him about adding pet health insurance to their policies to cover the costs of major veterinarian bills. He explained that in some cases, it's worth having the insurance to cover the cost of a major pet surgery.

Commissioner Duane Sutton made a motion to offer the option of pet insurance as long as workers pay the associated cost. Commission Vice Chairman Doug Fjeldheim seconded the vote.

For good measure, Sutton jokingly seconded the motion again with a "woof."

Vetter said the cost varies per species. For a dog, dependent on the plan, the cost is about $450 to $750 per year. For a cat, the cost is $270 to $450 per year.

In other action today, commissioners:

--Approved a request to use $145,760 of the county's Help America Vote Act grant to purchase new election equipment.

Auditor Maxine Fischer said the federal funds would be used to buy a state-approved vote scanner and tabulator and 12 AutoMARK electronic voting machines for people with visual or physical disabilities. She said the new equipment would replace equipment bought in 2005.

--Discussed how to handle personal property left in a house that is going through a tax deed process.

Vetter asked commissioners what they want to do with the property in a house in Groton that will be sold to recover unpaid property taxes. One option is to sell the items.

Commissioner Nancy Hansen said the property owners should be notified and given a deadline to recover the items, which might have sentimental value.

Vetter was advised to send a letter telling the owners they have 20 days to retrieve any personal items.

--Approved a motion to go into executive session with Building Superintendent Judy Dosch and Chief Information Officer Paul Sivertsen to discuss contracts. No action was taken a result of the closed session.

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