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Unlike last year, there are no big adjustments for workers compensation rates for municipalities in Chautauqua County.
During the recent county legislature meeting, lawmakers set the 2024 levy of participants' share of the county's self insurance plan for workers compensation. The total cost of the plan is $3,374,500.
Cities and villages will pay a total of $1,241,977, towns will pay a total of $544,068, while the county will pay $1,588,455.
According to Finance Director Kitty Crow, the total workers compensation rates have dropped about $620,000.
The only municipality that is not participating is the city of Dunkirk. The city withdrew last year after it was told its rate was jumping $86,139. It still had to pay the county $575,000 in pre-existing work compensation claims before it could leave.
Last year when the county set the workers compensation rates, legislators changed from using property assessments of a municipality to wages of employees, which caused the higher rates for Dunkirk, as well as Jamestown and the village of Westfield.
Jamestown also objected last year that its rates were going up. City leaders there were told Jamestown's rates would be $157,315 higher.
Even though Jamestown objected and was given permission to drop out, the city decided to stay with the county's workers compensation plan. For 2024, Jamestown's rates will drop $88,085. The new approved rate will be $946,981.
For villages, the only ones that will see an increase in 2024 are Sherman, which will pay an additional $274, and Cassadaga, which will pay an additional $75. The biggest drop percentage wise is Mayville, which will have a 41% decrease, paying $14,108 in 2024, a drop of $5,842.
For towns, Busti will have the biggest increase, having to pay an additional $1,998, a 15% increase. Other towns that will have an increase in 2024 include North Harmony paying an additional $2,475 (up 6.6%); Arkwright paying an additional $1,536 (up 6.3%); Westfield, paying an additional $420 (up 4.6%); Ellery, paying an additional $559 (up 3.7%); Sheridan, paying an additional $720 (2.3% increase); and the towns of Carroll, Charlotte, Ellington, Mina, and Portland, which all have less than a 2% increase.
Of the 16 towns that will have their rates drop in 2024, the biggest decrease by percent was French Creek, which will pay $787 less, a 29% drop.
No comments were made during the full legislature meeting. During a committee meeting the week before, Legislator Bob Scudder expressed support for the new formula, which uses employee wages instead of property assessments. "We switched this last year. I think this proves out that the right decision was made," he said.
The resolution for the new rates was unanimously adopted.