Upson County approves midyear budget amendments and environmental health fee increase

The Upson County Board of Commissioners approved several midyear budget amendments and a request from the regional environmental health district to raise fees already approved by other counties in the district. Staff said the midyear amendments were needed because the county’s fiscal year differs from some partner agencies’ fiscal years and because of higher-than-anticipated health insurance and workers’ compensation expenses, including increased volunteer-fire related workers' comp costs. County staff presented specific subsidy increases requested by partner agencies: a small increase for the Griffin Judicial Circuit tied to case-volume and personnel costs, and an increase for the Pine Mountain Regional Library System primarily to cover the county’s share of higher employer health-insurance contributions. Staff presented an item for environmental health fee increases; staff said the district and its Board of Health had approved the increases and requested that member counties adopt the same fee schedule. Commissioners said the new fees align Upson County with neighboring counties (Clay, Meriwether and Lamar cited during discussion) and approved the increase after a motion and second. The board also adopted a set of budget amendments that reflected approximately $85,000 added to workers’ compensation to cover a large claim and a pro-rated increase for county health-care premium increases; staff said the amendments were precautionary to ensure departments were budgeted for potential higher costs. Action: Commissioners voted to adopt the midyear budget amendments and to approve the environmental health fee increase. Why it matters: The amendments respond to higher employer health-care costs and a significant workers’ compensation claim and set the county’s subsidy levels for partner agencies for the fiscal year; the environmental health fee change aligns county fees with regional partners and the local health district.