Counties settle benefits dispute
Franklin approves $7.3M settlement
The Franklin County commissioners signed off Tuesday on a $7.3 million settlement with Fairfield County over disputed reserve funds from a cooperative health benefits pool.
Fairfield County initially joined Franklin County’s self-insurance program in 2005, with an updated intergovernmental agreement finalized in 2012. But the Fairfield County commissioners opted to self-insure county employees and withdrew from the cooperative in 2016, as allowed under their agreement with Franklin County.
At the time, Fairfield County officials said they were entitled to a refund of reserve funds they had paid into the cooperative, and subsequently filed suit against Franklin County to force repayment.
In May, a Fairfield County Common Pleas judge ruled in favor of the Fairfield County Board of Commissioners in the matter and ordered Franklin county to pay nearly $8.6 million, plus costs and interest.
In June, the Franklin County commissioners appealed the lower court decision, and the two sides continued to work toward a resolution.
The Fairfield County commissioners signed off on the settlement earlier this month. The settlement approval Tuesday by Franklin County commissioners effectively ends the case. The settlement does not include any admission “of any liability for the claims asserted by Fairfield County in the lawsuit.”
Amy Hiers, director of the Franklin County Prosecutor’s litigation unit, said Franklin and Fairfield counties will jointly file a motion to vacate the trial court decision.
Franklin County Administrator Kenneth Wilson said Pickaway County, a number of local townships and the city of Grandview Heights remain a part of Franklin County’s cooperative health benefits program.
In other business, the Franklin County commissioners approved a $100,000 settlement with a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputy who filed a federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint alleging discrimination and retaliation at Sheriff Dallas Baldwin’s office.
The payout to Sgt. Stacey Griffith includes $57,790.89 in claimed lost wages, $40,000 in compensatory damages, and about $2,200 in attorneys fees.
As part of the settlement, Griffith agreed to retire, withdraw her EEOC charge and drop any other claims against the county.
Since EEOC filings are confidential, no specific details about Griffith’s complaint were disclosed.
Griffith has worked for the sheriff’s office since 1991 and was earning about $118,000 annually (sergeants are paid about $57 per hour), said spokeswoman Maureen Kocot.
Griffith has been on paid administrative leave since Sept. 17, and her retirement date is effective this Friday, according to documents.
On another matter Tuesday, the commissioners approved more than $972,000 in rent and utility assistance for students at Columbus State Community College.
Jenny Snapp, the county’s assistant director of economic development and planning, said almost half of community college students are categorized as “housing insecure” and 13% are homeless.
“Housing instability is a fundamental barrier to completing a degree or skills program,” Snapp said.
Lisa Phillips, administrator for student advocacy and financial stability at Columbus State, said of the 3,000plus students who applied for assistance during the spring semester, 2,425 reported needing help with housing or utilities.
“… While I don’t have our current number for fall terms, we do know that this continues to be a problem for our students….,” she said. mkovac@dispatch.com @Ohiocapitalblog