~Scott County news
BENTON -- Scott County commissioners are working to come up with a protocol for workers' comp injuries.
At Thursday's meeting, they began brainstorming for a specific protocol to be adopted by the county to present to Robert Holthaus of the Missouri Association of Counties Self-Insured Workers' Compensation Fund.
"We've got to have a protocol to go by better than we have in the past," said Jamie Burger, presiding commissioner.
Commissioners will work on drafts of the protocol they would like to see and present them at Tuesday's meeting to come up with a single process to be filed whenever an employee is injured on the job.
"I think the main thing we need to address on this thing more than anything is immediacy (of filling out the report)," said Dennis Ziegenhorn, commissioner.
Burger stressed the need for injured employees to immediately report to their elected official, department head or that department's designee. "I think that a lot of times the elected official or whoever it may be may not even know or be aware that an employee was injured," he said.
The county will appoint a workers' comp doctor who will see all injured employees, and the drug testing will also be administered the same day the injury occurs, Burger said.
And as soon as possible after the injury, the commissioners will meet with the injured person and the elected official or department head to investigate what happened and attempt to prevent similar accidents in the future.
"I'd like to see other people's policies and be sure we don't miss anything," said Ron McCormick, commissioner.
Ziegenhorn suggested they also take a look at the protocol for the Missouri Association of Counties Self-Insured Workers' Compensation Fund. "It's a proven fact theirs works."
Also at the meeting, commissioners OK'd the purchase of a steel curbside collection box with a locking door to be used by the county collector's office.
"I was trying to get one for free, but they're just not out there," said Mark Hensley, collector. The low bid of $520 from an Internet bid through Steel Mailbox Company was approved, and it will have a painted bronze finish. Other bids submitted were a mail order through Charnstorm for $798 and Internet bids from U.S. Mail Supply for $579.50 and Mailboxes.com for $600.
Hensley noted that he solicited bids from local vendors, but none were submitted. The box will be purchased with the Tax Maintenance Fund.
"In other counties that have them, they are used quite a bit by the taxpayers," Hensley said.
He noted that the box will ensure that taxes are received by the deadline and he has heard positive feedback.
"Unfortunately we don't have work hours that cater to the public sector," he said, adding that he has sometimes stayed late because taxpayers called to alert him they were coming. "It's just another means of accessibility to our government offices."
Ziegenhorn agreed: "this will greatly benefit the county."
Also approved was the low bid of $742 for a water fountain from O'Guin Sales to replace the non-working one at the north end of the courthouse. According to the telephone quotation form submitted by Don Jones, county maintenance supervisor, the unit price with Young's Catalog was $826.50 and there was no call back from Presley Sales. The fountain is an Oasis Bi-Level barrier-free wall mounted cooler, which meets ADA requirements.
In other business, Ziegenhorn reported several trees fell around the county, with some blocking roads, during the storms on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
"Norman's been out since midnight patrolling the roads," Ziegenhorn said of Highway Department Supervisor Norman Brant.
"There have been several crews out cutting limbs down," McCormick said, adding that some high water signs had been posted.