There is a new Marshall in Town
Oct. 13—Have you ever heard the phrase "There is a New Sheriff in Town"?
In the case of Pulaski County Government, "There is a New Marshall in Town." His name is Marshall Todd.
Pulaski County Judge-Executive Marshall Todd has held his county elected position for over nine months now, and for the most part he has quietly and diligently worked to manage the county's out-of-hand fiscal budget.
In Tuesday's fiscal court meeting, which lasted well over two hours and 44 minutes, the "New Marshall" was not quiet and he definitely did not mix his words. In that meeting, two insurance entities — Neikirk Insurance and Peel & Holland Insurance — both pitched their health insurance rates and plans for the county employees for the upcoming year.
Kelly Harding of Peel and Holland Insurance presented his Kentucky Association of Counties insurance plan without much fanfare or discussion. But when Bill Neikirk and Kelly Wilson of Neikirk Insurance — the county's current insurance provider — presented their plan, the fireworks began.
Fourth District Magistrate Mark Ranshaw questioned and challenged the Neikirk Insurance representatives for most of their presentation. Ranshaw challenged them over the $75,000 the county was charged on top of their 4% commission fee. Ranshaw challenged the terms of the contract, the non-transparency of the county's yearly insurance bill, and their insurance carrier's lack of providing a family health insurance plan.
Once the Neikirk Insurance representatives completed their presentation, Todd began his rant over the state of the county's insurance billings.
While thanking Niekirk Insurance for presenting their plan, Todd also said he was "shocked'" that they able to drop their rates on the day of the presentation, and stated that is is amazing what a little competition will do to the prices.
Todd stated that no matter whichever way the fiscal court went that the county would save over $300,000 in premiums, and that he was "shocked" that has happened. He also stated that it was disturbing that both insurance plan presentations were exactly opposite and "one is chasing the other."
Like Ranshaw, Todd was "shocked" by the lack of transparency in the county's insurance bills and "disturbed" by differences in billing between what Humana billed and what Neikirk Insurance billed the county. Todd even stated that he felt like Neikirk Insurance was adding whatever fees they could get by with.
Despite Todd's and Ranshaw's grilling of the county's current insurance provider, the fiscal court approved — by a vote of 4-2 — to keep Neikirk Insurance as the county's insurance provider.
Instead of congratulating Bill Neikirk on winning as the county's insurance provider, Todd began to grill Bill Niekirk even harder. Todd made Neikirk guarantee that no more hidden costs would be tacked unto the county's bill, and the first time Todd saw any hidden fees he was going to "raise Cain." Todd also stated that he is upset with the corruption that has been going on for the past 20 years, which Neikirk publicly took offense to and stated that he was not to be blamed for the past administration's actions.
I don't think Judge Todd was trying to blame one particular person or insurance agency of being corrupt, but I think he wanted to set a hard-nose stance on any and all fiscal financial dealings from this point forward.
Although Todd and the fiscal court cannot undo their past insurance billings, they did manage to lower each county employee's health insurance monthly premiums from the current $1,176 per month to $1,042. However, neither insurance provider gave the county any options for an affordable family health insurance plan.
On Tuesday, Marshall Todd made it be known he was not going to follow suit in the way things have been done in the past in regards to county business. And he is not going to take part of the "Good Ole Boy" way of doing things in county government.
Get ready folks, "There is a New Marshall in Town."
Contact Steve Cornelius at scornelius@somerset-kentucky.com.
