County may end insurnace service for Port 1

Wahkiakum County may cease providing a health insurance program for Port District 1.

At their meeting Tuesday, Commissioners Dan Cothren, Blair Brady and Mike Backman agreed to wait a month before shedding Port 1 from the county's health insurance program.

In other business Tuesday, the board agreed to withdraw an Ingalls Road construction project from a state funding program and handled other business.

The county has incorporated Port 1's employees into the county insurance program since 1990, auditor's payroll clerk Kim Tracy told the board. However, she recommended the county end the practice because of potential liabilities.

In the past, Tracy has relied on port district personnel to handle all payroll work and just report figures needed for the insurance program.

However, under the federal Affordable Care Act, she would be responsible for much more reporting of PUD data.

"I don't think the county can continue to administer it for the Port any more," she said.

Tracy recommended the county discontinue the service at the end of 2014.

Port employees wouldn't lose health insurance immediately, Tracy said, for they would have COBRA coverage. The Port would have to pay an administrative fee of 2 percent and adjust to 2015 rates.

Tracy added that there are questions about the new rules and program administrators are still working out details.

Some Port personnel attended the meeting, and Attorney Tim Hanigan requested the commission wait a month before making a decision. That would allow the parties to gather more information.

Commissioners agreed with the request.

In other business, commissioners approved the recommendation of Public Works Director Pete Ringen to withdraw the Ingalls Road construction project from the county's road construction programs.

The county has received project funding from the state County Road Administration Board and used $29,000 of the money for preliminary engineering work.

That work, Ringen said, showed that the project would be much more expensive than anticiapted. Unused funds will go back to the CRAB, and Ringen will request that the board cover the preliminary work. That work has also produced a survey, maps and other data that could be used when the county applies for funding for a scaled back program in the future.