Supervisors press ECIA, insurer after months of unpaid bills from senior-center accident repairs

Jackson County supervisors on May 26 pressed staff to escalate a dispute over insurance payments for repairs and contractor invoices stemming from an accident at the Jackson County Senior Citizen Center.

Chair Don Spiker described repeated contractor invoices that remain unpaid after work was completed months ago. Lisa Smith and other board members said the insurance company appears to be treating the matter as a single liability claim and that contractors who performed immediate patching and repairs have not received payments. Smith said she had not seen documentation of those contractor bills in the insurer’s package and that a new adjuster had recently been assigned because of inactivity on the claim.

The board discussed involving ECIA (the regional entity that works with the county on insurance), contacting the county’s insurance contact (identified in the transcript as Joe Vans), and possibly engaging the county attorney if required. Supervisors expressed frustration that the county — which the board said is the damaged party — should not be left out of pocket or forced to pay contractors while an insurer reprocesses a liability claim. The board asked staff to coordinate with ECIA, the insurance contact, and county attorneys to clarify what the insurer will cover, which invoices are included in the current claim payment, and whether displacement or other coverages apply.

No final resolution was reached at the meeting; the board directed staff and its insurance contact to press the insurer for answers and to reconvene the issue when more information is available.