Carroll County seeks delegation meeting after $164,000 interlocal trust assessment

Carroll County commissioners voted to ask the county delegation to meet and consider a supplemental budget request after the receiver for a dissolved New Hampshire interlocal health trust issued an assessment of about $164,000 to the county.

The county’s executive director told commissioners the trust, which had collected premiums and worked with Harvard Pilgrim as the health plan administrator, was dissolved and a receiver was appointed. The receiver, the executive director said, set a county assessment equal to Carroll County’s 6.5% share of the trust’s base and told officials that, “if we pay the assessment, he’ll pay all of our outstanding claims.”

County leaders said the receiver requested the payment “by today,” though the board and staff are relying on the county delegation’s supplemental budget process — which runs through Aug. 31 — to authorize use of fund balance for the unbudgeted expense. The executive director told the commission that the county has the fund balance to cover the assessment but needs the delegation’s formal approval to proceed.

Why it…