Brooke Commission renews flood, workers’ comp insurance

WELLSBURG - Insurance and benefits were the focus on Tuesday’s Brooke County Commission meeting.

Commissioners agreed, by a 2-0 vote, to renew the county’s flood insurance policy with Wright National.

"We have two options," noted County Clerk Kimberly Barbetta.

The county will be going with the proposal labeled as Option A, at a cost of $13,093, which is reflective of the county’s existing plan.

"It’s limited coverage, as we found when we had our most recent flood," Commissioner Stacey Wise said. "It doesn’t cover as much as we thought."

Commissioner Christina White noted the majority of the county’s contents - including records and equipment - are kept on higher floors and out of the reach of any potential flooding.

Officials further noted all county-owned buildings are covered by the plan.

The second insurance proposal would have had a cost of $13,906.

The county also agreed to renew its workers’ compensation plan with Encova, at a cost of $14,233.

Commissioners also had a discussion, although took no action, on employee overtime requirements, saying it should just be a matter of more clearly communicating the policies and procedures, as well as the best practices for using the payroll software.

"It’s nothing we haven’t done in the last 20 years," White said. "We just did it on paper."

In other business Tuesday, the commission:

Agreed to seek bids, on behalf of the Sheriff’s Department, for a handheld narcotics analyzer, 18 dash mounted cameras, and 18 AED Plus units with covers;

Announced the county had received three more requests for a share of opioid settlement funds, with the Follansbee Police Department submitting a request for $31,306.86; Meetopolis Wellness LLC $75,000; and Empower and Link Inc. submitting a revised request of $273,120.80;

Reappointed Frank Ainscough to the Hammond Public Service District Board;

Announced the Brooke County Courthouse will be closed Oct. 12 for Columbus Day, and there will be no commission meeting Oct. 13.

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)