County says worker’s comp claims responsible for insurance hike

By Gary Scott on November 9, 2015 at 1:44pm

Morgan County Commissioners highlighted an increase in what the county pays for liability insurance this morning.

In what was an annual renewal, commissioners approved a $180-thousand agreement through the Illinois Counties Risk Management Trust.

Commissioner chairman Brad Zeller says that’s an increase of about $20-thousand from the previous year, and says the increase is significantly due to worker’s compensation.

“We recently have had several claims, and that cost [more]. Our past performance, which is based on the number of claims and disparity of claims, that determines your rate, so that went up a little bit,” Zeller says. “So, we thought we would put it on the public meeting.”

Zeller said during the meeting that officials have been diligent about making sure county employees are informed about safety procedures. Commissioner Bill Meier noted the agreement is still a lower number than the average amount Illinois counties pay for liability insurance.

Also this morning, South Jacksonville Acting Police Chief Josh Hallock was named to replace another officer on the Morgan County E-911 Board. Rex Ginder was re-appointed to the same board. Steve Carls was appointed to the Willow Creek Drainage District for a term of three years.

Morgan County Clerk Jill Waggener issued a reminder that candidates for the March 2016 primary elections can file between November 23rd and the 30th.