Horacek hearing ends; decision next week

The central issue in the case is whether Horacek was “untruthful” when she told the board of commissioners during financial presentations in January and February that a cost overrun for employee health insurance was due coverage changes since the budget’s adoption in late September – and did not disclose to the full board that a 7.64-percent premium increase of about $250,000 had not been budgeted.

Lee testified that he knew by early September that there would be a cost increase for the county’s health insurance plan, but he said he thought that increase would be absorbed by the excess funding that was in the budget for retirement benefits.

He said he wasn’t certain if he instructed Horacek not to include the 7.64-percent premium increase in the FY2009 budget for Oct. 1, 2008-Sept. 30, 2009. He said he couldn’t recall his specific instructions to her and had been unable to find any written documentation concerning any specific instructions.

Garrison said the budget was the commissioners’ responsibility and that in working with staff on the budget preparation, he felt comfortable that any needed adjustments could be made throughout the year.

Horacek testified for about an hour. She insisted that the more than $200,000 cost overrun for the insurance this fiscal year has been due to enrollment changes in the county plan, not to the fact that the rate increase was not budgeted.

She said the only reason she did mention the premium increase at a third financial presentation on March 24 was because she had learned that that was what the commissioners wanted her to acknowledge.