The recommendation of the Orange County Health and Retiree Insurance Committee was approved Tuesday by the Commissioners Court of the wellness program for county employees. The committee was appointed in May to solicit and review insurance packages for the county’s employees.
The committee received two bids concerning the wellness program and health insurance coverages for county employees and retirees. The Texas Association of Counties (TAC), the current provider for the county, and T K Insurance in Orange were the two that submitted bids. The committee recommended Option 2 submitted by TAC for the wellness program.
Human Resource Director Lori Ardoin summarized the details of the wellness program submitted by TAC which employees can choose to do by receiving an annual physical checkup from a doctor and perform one other physical activity or register into a condition management course. “Opting in you don’t have to pay anything, and you opt out and you’d end up having to pay $60, which would be $60 a month for that 12-month period,” Ardoin said. All county employees will also be required to sign a tobacco use form whether they smoke cigarettes and use other tobacco products or not.
The deadline for approving a wellness program is Monday prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Commissioners Court. The Commissioners approved Option 2 from TAC by a vote of 3 to 1 with only Jody Crump opposing it saying he did not like the current wellness program either. July 31 is the deadline for choosing a health insurance plan for the employees. The Court will address that at its next meeting on Tuesday, July 25.
The Commissioners approved making no changes for the coming fiscal year to the tax exemptions for county property owners. The local homestead exemption remains at 20 percent. Senior citizens age 65 or older will continue to get a $25,000 exemption, as will also disabled citizens in Orange County.
No change will be made for the fees added to the vehicle registration charge paid annually by Orange County citizens. The road and bridge fee is added to the basic registration charge and will remain at the maximum allowed $10 in the county. The Child Safety fee which is to provide for school crossing guards will continue not to be collected in the county since there are no school districts in Orange County that use them.
Constable Lane Mooney of Precinct 4 was asked by the Court to get with the payroll department to itemize which of his reserve deputies will be providing law enforcement services for the City of Pine Forest. The city pays $500 monthly for the constables to patrol the municipality. The monthly fee is to be used to pay expenses for the deputy constables who make the patrols.
Fallon Foster was approved by the Commissioners as the new County Coordinator and Department Head for the county AgriLife Extension Office. Foster has worked in the ag office for more than three years. She replaces Christina Ritter who has moved to Conroe with her husband who received a job transfer to that area earlier this month.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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