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Pike County approves insurance renewals as officials warn budget pressures will grow
Summary
The fiscal court renewed health, workers' compensation and liability/cyber policies after staff reported a 4.83% rise in health premiums (to $265,006.60 monthly), an 11% workers' comp increase to $816,000 and a 17% jump in property/casualty/cyber premiums to about $2,151,410; the court also heard first reading of an amended budget showing $113,143,526 in revenues and expenditures.
County staff reported across-the-board insurance premium increases and the fiscal court approved renewals that officials said will add pressure to the county budget.
Bobby (county insurance/treasury staff) told the court health insurance premiums increased roughly 4.83%, with monthly premiums rising to $265,006.60 — about $35,000 more per month than the prior year, which Judge Jones said equates to roughly a $420,000 annual increase. Bobby identified prescription costs as a key driver and said prescription payouts had been in the mid-six-hundreds of thousands: “It was $684,000 for prescription cost,” he said.
The court voted to renew county health coverage for FY2027. The meeting also approved renewal of workers' compensation (reported up about 11%) at an annual premium of $816,000 and renewal of liability/property/cyber and law enforcement insurance, which Bobby said rose approximately 17% to about $2,151,410 due to higher asset values.
Roy presented the first reading of the amended Pike County Fiscal Court budget ordinance for FY2026, reporting projected revenues and expenditures of $113,143,526. Judge Jones flagged revenue shortfalls tied to reduced coal severance receipts — the county received $1,408,067 against a $1.6 million budgeted projection — and warned recent state legislation exempting exported coal from severance taxes will produce longer-term revenue declines and hurt road aid and other services.
Each insurance renewal and the budget reading were advanced by motion and approved by roll call. Officials did not provide a line-by-line budget adjustment tied to the insurance increases at the meeting; staff and the court indicated these items will be managed in ongoing budget work.
