County staff reported the Crawford County risk-management fund is $206,000 positive through the first six months of the year and projected the account would exceed $2 million with the July 1 deposit.

The treasurer and staff attributed the improvement to a combination of employee health trends, consultant negotiations and internal changes to benefits administration. Commissioners cited a Health Savings Account change and the addition of a nurse practitioner as factors that make employees more cautious about spending and could lower claims costs.

Staff scheduled a work session at 9 a.m. July 8 for a detailed six-month overview and recommendations for the next year’s budget and insurance strategy. County leaders said the fund is statutorily earmarked for claims and therefore is not intended for general-fund use; they emphasized the goal of growing the fund to make the county’s plan more marketable and reduce stop-loss exposure.