No hike in local tax rate

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance misread Jay County’s local option income tax ordinance and incorrectly informed employers and bookkeepers that the tax was going up, auditor Nancy Culy said this morning.
“It never changed,” Culy said. The actual rate of .00245 percent will be corrected effective Nov. 1 by the DLGF.
The error was discovered about three weeks ago and has now been straightened out, said Culy.
The prospect of an increase in county employee health insurance premiums on Jan. 1 has Jay County Commissioners looking at options and seeking input.
One possibility would be to move to a partially self-funded insurance plan that is expected to lower premiums and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for some employees.
Apex Benefits proposed a plan earlier this fall that would set up Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA) that would help to lower the county’s premium and possibly total expenditures. The HRA is a fund that is paid into by the employer to cover the out-of-pocket costs for employees until they reach their deductible.
Other options include possible changes in deductible and co-payments
“I think we need to see what the employees want to do,” commissioner Faron Parr said.
Currently, the monthly cost of single-person coverage with Anthem is $547.64 with a $1,500 deductible.
That is expected to rise to $612.75 the first of the year.
The county pays $500 per month per employee, with employees covering the balance of the cost.
In other business, the commissioners:
•Proclaimed October as National Arts and Humanities Month in Jay County.
•Proclaimed Oct. 21 as International Credit Union Day in Jay County.[[In-content Ad]]