Barton County ended up more than $27,000 to the good this week, thanks to local safety practices.
Barton County Commissioners were joined by representatives of Alliance Insurance for the presentation of a dividend check for $27,422.56.
Agent Cody Smith explained the dividend was received due to the safety programs and other efforts the county staff have under taken to keep the county’s workmen’s compensation claims low.
Smith told the commissioners that the county could qualify for the dividend payments in future years, also, if the programs  are continued.
County Administrator Richard Boeckman told the commissioners that the county’s “mod rate,” the level set in the insurance industry to denote the county’s status, is at .93. “It’s a marvelous mod rate to have,” the administrator commented.
He said a lot of the credit goes to Emergency Risk Manager Amy Miller. “Amy works hard, as do our other department heads, to insure the we are safe.”
Boeckman noted that there have been a number of education programs and other safety measures that the county officials have embraced in an effort to keep worker claims at a minimum, and this dividend illustrates their success.