[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6238415,"mediaKeyId","3352240-9b57532c852da547d8e8316fc699c986","parentId",3352240,"title","Commissioners question ARPA-funded Wichita Valley water project timeline and expenses","audioSeconds",194,"startMs",3264000,"endMs",3458000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3352240-9b57532c852da547d8e8316fc699c986&start=3264&end=3458","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3352240-9b57532c852da547d8e8316fc699c986/thumbnail_3264000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6238415/Wichita-County/Texas/Commissioners-question-ARPA-funded-Wichita-Valley-water-project-timeline-and-expenses","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6238415-50874137d583b060d62fd8fa483ddbd8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770680878&Signature=QNbmeulZArQuSdhOjKDZND-7LbqjxOSOSS1W~ix8VtqzT1OSb7Cl35SL~rJ03zMX~E0L0ugwN3CqTb0r19SHx0ByZv-sVpw9A5I1wNFfoYTnD0-PDosw7j01yK5~Ik65ke87r17XuzUgOCK42ZxDzItaXbGb4uVIoomQkPP2IYP~jfeci4IiR7UZTwxVmXHj4V96-Qq7lCC3wN5ClEHY0cdzmmqIh0cMRhz2HENfMtShP0SVgS5lALqcx4Qosn1ZLimSy881ocLbC0mT9gqWIdyp6UAqQ3Wmy2iXTBg3gWYNnoKZCWq08IBy9buTrt8pdN4q9yVfhuFrSO4fAsLMYA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wichita County, TX","date","2025-05-17T03:49:44Z","article","County commissioners reviewed regular bills on May 16 and discussed ARPA-funded work on a Wichita Valley water improvement project, current payments and reporting responsibilities.

A county official said the project has incurred about $22,000 in payments so far and that county staff had been told construction activity would ramp up at the end of the month. County staff also said the original ARPA agreement was signed in August 2022; the contract language does not specify a completion date of Dec. 31, 2026, though staff said they have notified the project lead (Danny) multiple times about timing expectations.

Commissioners asked whether the county has a contract with the project manager; staff said Wichita Valley is the ARPA subrecipient and is responsible for reporting expenses back to the county. One commissioner asked whether Core (named in discussion) was managing the project; staff clarified that Wichita Valley holds the contract and that Core acts as a subrecipient manager in some capacity.

No formal action or vote was recorded. Commissioners requested continued reporting on project spending and timelines; staff said they would monitor progress and report back when additional invoices or ramped construction activity are received.

The discussion occurred during the agenda item for regular bills and ARPA expenses and focused on ensuring ARPA reporting and timelines remain clear to the court.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Commissioner's Court 5/16/2025","oneSentenceSummary","During review of regular bills, commissioners discussed ARPA expenditures on a Wichita Valley water improvement project, learned about $22,000 in payments to date and raised concerns about timelines and subrecipient reporting; county staff agreed the project will ramp up and that Wichita Valley, as subrecipient, must report expenses.","taxTitle","Wichita County, Texas","taxId",2723,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6238420,"Wichita County jail maintenance, safety fixes and staffing gaps highlighted in commissioners' report",573,2061000,2634000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3352240-9b57532c852da547d8e8316fc699c986&start=2061&end=2634","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3352240-9b57532c852da547d8e8316fc699c986/thumbnail_2061000.jpg","/articles/6238420/Wichita-County/Texas/Wichita-County-jail-maintenance-safety-fixes-and-staffing-gaps-highlighted-in-commissioners-report","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6238420-c56fe52fd66e188e59435cf4b10f858f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770680878&Signature=GRj6n1XkvPG4BKwf~w9nVnayexiMq3H8yjU7vEbUUVINiK9Flu711Sr0iPANBuYmMrWaIG6mbp4RmmdNvUQRS~BmIV6CHoqsp~c60L-79sQ3UohjXKioIA1hE22ahlju04BSapuP3rEV9ouU98ReCf3Msc-yhl9cT9lbQUTxGlNnTqIm~kG6WdgQGu3pd-YX2iisI7w5wge4~ATuI~KA7lhUZP-jnjs-DCvz2NLL54FUO8noC8xGg8N49eap3lA~SZHlhiNYY2hBCc1Q9mAYZylJIX6-w3MtAanysaWXkcxvyheIp~3avGITy1nOV2zpA~fsWMK3jEbLIZFHWGswbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wichita County Commissioners Court received a status update on jail maintenance and staffing on May 16, including upcoming kitchen work, fire marshal findings and open jail positions.

A captain in charge of facility maintenance told the court crews would begin a kitchen renovation and that a recent fire marshal inspection noted beeping batteries in HVAC battery backups and an electrical issue with the generator that had since been resolved. The captain said replacing the expiring batteries will cost about $2,100.

The captain reported pod remediation nearly complete and invited commissioners to inspect the units. He also described a jammed roof hatch with a locked middle hatch for which no key was available and a janitor-closet hatch that darkens access when descending from the roof. \"We might wanna rethink that switch and put a runner-up,\" one commissioner said during discussion of the motion-sensor light that fails to detect people above the ceiling.

Commissioners asked that the captain add prescription billing for out-of-county inmates to the out-of-county revenue page; the captain agreed to follow up and to email the court the report. He said the U.S. Marshals contract is already included in the billing and he would confirm details with the contract vendor.

On the trustee/inmate building at the rear of the jail campus, the captain said the structure itself is complete but that Internet and camera installation remain. He said fiber will need to be pulled and cameras installed before trustee workers can occupy the building, and that the related expenses are split between two budget lines (DCF and the general fund) with cameras to be funded from line 04/2009 once costs are known.

The court also received a staffing update. The captain said there were 13 current jailer vacancies, with two new hires scheduled to begin at the end of the month and three staff members out on FMLA, workers' compensation or military leave. He reported several employees in training and that a jail academy class is scheduled to begin June 1.

Commissioners discussed overtime and supervisory staffing. The captain explained the scheduling practice: the jail maintains at least two supervisors in the building every day and typically has six supervisors per shift, which can create overlap and overtime in some supervisory and administrative roles. \"We try really hard to... make sure that if people can flex off time, they flex off time when they're not jail positions to help with overtime costs,\" he said.

No formal vote or policy decision was recorded. The court requested the captain email the more detailed maintenance report and follow up with specific cost estimates for repairs and camera/internet work for the trustee building; the captain said he would do so.

The discussion combined operational maintenance, safety improvements and staffing concerns and ended with commissioners thanking maintenance staff for their work and asking for the requested documentation to be circulated.","Officials reported ongoing jail maintenance projects, safety issues flagged by a fire marshal inspection, a trustee building awaiting fiber and cameras, and persistent jailer vacancies and overtime; the court asked for follow-up cost details and documentation.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6238425,"Texas Association of Counties: Wichita County health plan posts low loss ratio, modest rate increase expected",1164,875000,2039000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3352240-9b57532c852da547d8e8316fc699c986&start=875&end=2039","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3352240-9b57532c852da547d8e8316fc699c986/thumbnail_875000.jpg","/articles/6238425/Wichita-County/Texas/Texas-Association-of-Counties-Wichita-County-health-plan-posts-low-loss-ratio-modest-rate-increase-expected","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6238425-af0a252d09066857c5c6522e2e304cb5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770680878&Signature=OZXDj~FLRoI3fCfskChbBHJ445LYIBGyhizb17gs~ycjm7KB9cuvkNTs4qN556b-4Kp0O5rWVVnTtb2sXI8WHGhsOBQXAITha~41PJsOwcjRcIqkC5Ii~WPobeTktgnSWZkHNqhpZcS18T4utxXckJTToYWII~W6nckcEDPRRbP0FMvjYFgT71fYr4x0ntU~-7CKnUXKQ95shiHds10hrsHCv0xf7qVPX0Ae9F2NrqiKe1tyaV6SL1y16eTy62aG8WQmrCVc-kR5kniCpYs~rJ~KzdJfTd1o5W0Fjgz9UKZay5MTgmsKVZqg7Cg~t~eRJ6rJh1l0CccI8dx-PsF6SA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jonathan Collender, a benefits consultant with the Texas Association of Counties, told the Wichita County Commissioners Court on May 16 that the county's employee health plan has outperformed the TAC pool and is likely to see a small renewal increase.

Collender said the TAC pool's anticipated statewide increase was 6% but that Wichita County should expect far less, with the county's increase set around 1.7% at the time of the review. \"I would anticipate an increase this year, but of less than 2%,\" Collender said.

The presentation contained the key metrics that underlie that estimate. Collender said Wichita County's 12-month loss ratio was about 85.7%, lower than the pool's target range and well under the pool's recent average. He also told the court the county had a relatively small number of very high-cost claimants: \"You had 7 over a hundred thousand, and then 8 additional claims over 50,000,\" figures he described as favorable for a county of Wichita's size.

Michelle Gifford, TAC's wellness consultant, summarized clinical drivers and utilization patterns that are raising costs nationally and locally. Gifford said musculoskeletal conditions (MSK) were the county's top diagnostic cost driver and that anti-diabetic drugs showed a sharp year-over-year pharmacy cost increase. \"Musculoskeletal conditions were your top cost drivers,\" Gifford said, and she added that new and expensive diabetes medications were increasing pharmacy spend even where utilization rose only slightly.

Gifford highlighted the county's preventive-care participation and available benefit programs. She said about half of eligible members used preventive care in the measured period and listed no-cost or low-cost services available through TAC, including Airrosti (musculoskeletal care), Teladoc, Omada and MDLive. She encouraged continued promotion of Airrosti, noting only 10 county employees used that benefit last year but that it can help avoid surgeries.

County officials asked for comparative cost data to respond to local provider claims that Wichita County is not the most expensive place for care. Collender offered to provide anonymized cost comparisons for procedures and venues: \"We can get you some data,\" he said, and added TAC would work on anonymized reports for the county and its providers.

The consultants also reminded the court that the county will receive RFP notices for health benefits and that TAC will remain available to consult regardless of the county's eventual carrier choice. Collender noted that the pool's overall loss ratio for the previous year ran nearer 99% and that some groups in the market are actively issuing RFPs now, advising the county it should receive competitive responses.

No formal action or vote was taken during the presentation. County staff and TAC staff agreed to follow up: TAC to prepare anonymized cost comparisons for local review, and county wellness staff to coordinate with Gifford on promoting covered programs.

Any next steps the commissioners directed were limited to follow-up and information-sharing rather than policy changes or contract awards. TAC representatives said they would be on the county's RFP distribution list and that they could provide quotes if the county decides to pursue self-funded or alternate plan designs.

The court heard the presentation as part of its May 16 agenda and thanked the TAC representatives for the review.","A Texas Association of Counties (TAC) midyear review found Wichita County's employee health plan is performing well with a 12-month loss ratio of about 85.7% and an anticipated renewal increase near 1.7%; TAC offered data-sharing and wellness support as the county prepares an RFP.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioners question ARPA-funded Wichita Valley water project timeline and expenses

Wichita County jail maintenance, safety fixes and staffing gaps highlighted in commissioners' report

Texas Association of Counties: Wichita County health plan posts low loss ratio, modest rate increase expected