Scioto County employees may be giving up what Scioto County Commissioners Chairman Tom Reiser refers to as their “Cadillac health care plan” and replace it with less expensive, but still good coverage in order to bring down the current deficit by a targeted $700,000, which he says is “doable.”

“It has been here for years and years and years,” Reiser told the Portsmouth Daily Times following Wednesday’s meeting of the state fiscal emergency committee meeting. “And with the financial situation, the reality today, we just have to look at that plan. We’re going to maintain a very, very good plan, but it may not be exactly what it is right now.”

Reiser told the commission the county has scheduled meetings with three insurance companies to look at replacement coverage and to attempt to save money in the process.

State Auditor Mary Taylor announced in August that Scioto County was to receive fiscal emergency status, and she set up the format for that commission to evaluate the plan for the county’s recovery from a deficit, at that time, totaling $3.52 million, as of June 30.

“We’re looking at options to bring that deficit down county-wide to the tune of a million dollars,” Reiser said. “That’s $290,000 in the general fund, because the general fund is 30 percent of the total of the entire county.”

Reiser was asked what action the commissioners are taking while awaiting the study being done by the state.

“In regards to the deficit, we have been meeting for several months, and working at places where we can save enough money to start reducing the deficit,” Reiser said. “And the obvious places are our Workers Compensation, and you do that in a couple of ways by renegotiating your fee structure, and by the education of your employees in order to bring down claims, which reduces.”

In a presentation to the commission, Reiser pointed out actions that have already been taken in addition to scheduling meetings with insurance carriers, including the closing of the Juvenile Detention Center and the laying off of 25 employees from that facility.

Reiser said the closedown costs, not including unemployment which the county pays, is in the ballpark figure of $50,000, and has been assumed by the general fund.

Reiser said Administrative Assistant Steve Wells have been working with both the Bureau of Workers Compensation and CORSA (liability and property insurance carrier) to secure the lowest possible rates for the county with the result being a $522,000 reduction for the county which would translate to $156,000 in the general fund.

Reiser said that early in the budgeting process they have three personnel positions which were funded in 2009 and will not be filled in 2010, which totals around $150,000 in savings.

“We’ve had a hiring freeze on for two years now, and we’re planning to continue that,” Reiser said. “That doesn’t mean that we’re going to fire people, but what it means is that when people leave — office holders — we need to reorganize and learn how to do things better and in better ways.”

Finally, the county has also entered into contracts for 40 beds (from Pike and Lawrence counties) which will produce real revenue of $613,000 in fiscal year 2010.

At the commission meeting, David Thompson of the State Auditor’s Office went over the Scioto County budgetary process which showed 2009 estimated receipts at $15.11 million, and total expenditures of $17.1 million. Thompson said an actual fund balance of negative $2.38 million exists, and county government is going to have to look for line items to find money to transfer to keep the county running through the end of the year.

Commission Chairman Paul Marshall set Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. for the next meeting.

Frank Lewis may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.