In the regular meeting of the Kent County commissioners court, minutes of the court’s June 26 session were read and approved, noting items as follow.
The employee health insurance plan approved.
Tracy Woodward, consultant for the Kent County Nursing Home, reported on storm damage to the facility.
The court approved reinstatement of a burn ban, with outdoor burning restricted to require prior approval of the fire chief.
The court approved arequest from Jayton-Girard ISD for permanent school funds in the amount of $673,083.98 for captial improvements.
The court approved a two-year depository contract with Kent County State Bank in Jayton.
The court pproval of temporary pipeline agreements for several parcels located in Martin County.
On Monday, July 10, 2023, in its regular session, the court debated at length the details of a County Specific Inventive program for health benefits, administered by the Texas Association of Counties. With a $5,000 maximum available to earn countywide, through participation in a previously approved health incentive program, Kent County currently has 60 participants eligible; the court hammered out details on how to reward each participant with $100 per year upon proof of a completed wellness check.
Additionally, bills to the county were reviewed and approved.
Most of the remainder of the morning’s three-hour session was taken up with Kent County Nursing Home matters. Consultant Tracy Woodward reported a resident census of 40.
She also presented the court with a detailed aging report outlining receivables from Medicare Part AI, Medicaid and direct billing.
While the facility is facing unpaid bills going back to 2016 and 2017, Woodward explained, the county is not likely to collect on such older accounts. For more recent past-due accounts, “letters have been sent; phone calls are being made,” Woodward said. She advises reviewing the list carefully before submitting a recommendation fo writeoffs.
Commissioners discussed with Woodward recent rising costs of providing care, such as meals, noting that food expenses from wholesalers have gone up 20% in the last year and a half. Various strategies for obtaining food at lower prices were discussed.
Another topic of discussion was how best to provide television service to residents once Cap Rock Telephone discontinues its cable TV service in a few months.
Extended consideration was given to a proposed resolution regarding a Resident Trust Fund for residents’ private accounts for incidental purposes. An interest-paying checking account with verified withdrawals, providing greater security for residents and staff alike, is to be set up. After extended discussion of fine-grained details, a motion was made and carried, at 11:49 a.m.
The last order of nursing home business, before a recess for lunch, was a discussion regarding whether the updated employee handbook had been approved yet.
Half a dozen items remained on the agenda to be covered follow the lunch break, and will be reported on in next week’s issue.
Present were County judge Layne Coulter, commissioners Roy Chisum, Robert Graham, Ray Hall and Daryl Ham, and county clerk Craig Harrison.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.
