Board approves public defender contract; CORSA insurance update and JDC workmanship dispute discussed

The Ross County Board of Commissioners approved the county's share of the public defender multi-county contract and heard an insurance renewal briefing from a CORSA representative at its March 30 meeting.

A representative for the public defender's office presented a contract proposal that keeps staffing consistent but requests additional office space and an updated budget. The presenter said the multi-county contract totals just under $2.5 million; with an estimated reimbursement rate of 80 percent, the county share presented was about $452,272 (a 6.4 percent increase over last year). The board moved, seconded and approved the contract by voice vote.

The board also heard a summary of the CORSA renewal and program changes from Eric, who said CORSA is forming a captive insurance company that will go live May 1 to help members insulate against market volatility. Eric reported an average program-cost increase of roughly 5 percent for the 2026-27 renewal, adjustments to cyber coverage that move some exposures to crime coverage, and an allocation of $300,000 for additional cybersecurity programs and reimbursements that Ross County may be able to access.

Commissioners then discussed an active workmanship dispute at the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) where newly installed units reportedly developed problems as weather changed. Commissioners said they had documented issues and sought greater remediation; CORSA's representative explained that coverage depends on the memorandum of coverage and that some policy language may exclude workmanship claims. The board requested CORSA staff (identified in the meeting as Ally Redmond) to visit the site with county staff and review options.

Other items on the agenda included reading of multiple construction bids for an Alford project, a pay application for a Bainbridge waterline replacement project and several proclamations and routine approvals.