Health costs, community surveys to be county discussions

Donley County Commissioners will be talking about health insurance and a possible way to get more grant funds for local communities when they hold their regular meeting next Monday.

County Judge John Howard says the county’s health insurance has gone up $93,000 in the last seven years, and commissioners are facing another 5.9 percent increase in premiums in the new budget, which takes effect in October. Some counties have seen increases of 14 percent, he said.

On Monday, June 13, commissioners will be looking at the amount of money county employees are expected to pay for their insurance as they try to balance the needs of the employees with the needs of the taxpayers.

Commissioners will also be talking about conducting community surveys to boost the ability for the county to apply for certain grants.

Howard said the American Community Survey currently reports that 42 percent of Donley County households are of low to moderate income. The survey is a figure that HUD gives to the US Department of Agriculture, which in turns uses it as a litmus test for Community Development Block Grants – either in scoring grants or sometimes whether a community can even apply for a grant.

The judge says local officials believe that the number of low to moderate income households in the county is significantly higher than the American Community Survey reports. Communities do, however, have the option of conducting their own survey. The City of Howardwick has done just that and opened the door to some CBDG funds, Howard said.

In the county’s case, the focus would be on securing a grant for the Donley County Hospital District to replace three aging ambulances. The district alone can’t apply for the grant in question. The county could apply for the grant funds, but only if 51 percent or more households are classified as low to moderate income.

On Monday, commissioners will discuss working with city officials in Clarendon and Hedley to get volunteers to conduct local surveys, the judge said.

“It makes a difference if someone from the federal government comes to your door or if it’s someone local who can explain how completing a survey can help the county,” Howard said.

If the effort is successful, the county could apply for up to $750,000 for the hospital district to buy three new ambulances, and the match from the hospital district would only be $7,500.

Howard said the survey data collected locally would be good for five years, allowing local cities and the county more eligibility for other grant opportunities during that time.