Kanawha County Commission approves budgets for upcoming fiscal year

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Commission on Thursday approved its budgets, which includes a switch to Public Employees Insurance Agency plans.

The $57.3 million general budget in an increase of around $560,000 from the year prior, in which most of the change is associated with a cost-of-living increase for employees.

County commissioners previously discussed implementing two general budgets at separate times; the first budget would have factored remaining self-insured through Blue Cross Blue Shield, while the second budget would have included the switch to PEIA, which officials and employees were discussing at the time.

The commission estimated a $700,000 increase in health care costs if no action was taken.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said the timing stemmed from two things: support from county employees for the change and the coronavirus pandemic.

“We didn’t have a single employee tell us not to do this. Not one. Most employees recognize that they’ll probably be paying less,” he said.

“We’re in a situation now where should we really be paying medical bills without any insurance at all, because the county really didn’t have insurance. The county paid whatever medical bills came in. I think in this situation we’re in now, who in the world would want to do that if they could avoid it?”

Assured Partners and commission staff will fill out an application for the switch.

“It’s very troubling that has to be done with people not in the building and social distancing, but we’ve got to cover them,” Carper said.

Carper noted while the county approved a $1.9 million coal severance budget, the amount is likely to decrease because of the coronavirus.

“I believe, at the very least, this country is going to enter a recession. I hope that’s only as bad as it gets,” he said. “There’s a good chance that there will be less need for everything for a while. I would anticipate the coal market will have a downturn for a global recession.”

The county has to submit budgets to the state by March 28, and the deadline to switch to PEIA is May 1.

The budgets will go into effect in July.