The county paid its annual Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation payment more than three weeks late, which - according to state officials - would put the county in default and puts at risk the county’s rating discount for not making its $877,820 payment in full by May 15. The bill was paid June 9.
Furmon and Commissioner Don Dixon said the county has taken measures to assure the mistake is not repeated.
“Steps are being put in place to prevent this from ever happening again,” Dixon said
The missed payment could have been a costly error for the cash-strapped county.
Government entities are required to pay 45 percent of their annual payment by May 15 each year. However, since 1989, the county has been participating in a rating program by paying the entire amount in full by May 15 to receive a .0005 percent premium rebate for each day before the Sept. 1 due date for the payment balance.
A hearing about issue was scheduled for Sept. 15. But Melissa Vince, spokeswoman for the bureau, confirmed it will not be needed.
Vince said the county was afforded a one-time forgiveness policy which can be approved if the late payment involved a good faith error.
“There will be no penalties or fees,” Vince said.
County officials have not said for sure how late payment occurred, but in a July letter from county Human Resources Director Gary Sheets to Kathleen Davenport, regional liaison for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, indicates the late payment was an oversight due to understaffing.
According to a June 7 email obtained by the JournalNews, a payroll report, which is part of the reporting process, was mistakenly sent to the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services — not the workers’ compensation bureau.
The email was from Hailey Long, an auditor’ office employee, Laura Joy Campbell, the county commission’s assistant HR director, and Tonyia Burnett, county budget and financial planning manager.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2168 or lpack@coxohio.com.
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