A proposed $80 fee increase will head to the board of supervisors and county staff will research whether or not it should change health insurance providers.

Those matters were discussed at the Monday meeting of the county's administrative committee, which included Supervisors Louis Boitano and Richard Forster.

The $80 increase for grading permit fees was discussed at a previous administrative committee meeting but Forster asked the Public Works Agency to recalculate the numbers to make sure the increase - a 21 percent jump from the last increase approved in March 2006 - was warranted. The fee hike, if approved, would raise the permit cost from $380 to $460.

Public Works Director Larry Peterson and staff reported that upon review, they found there were miscalculations on the consultant's behalf concerning the fee increase. However, the miscalculations canceled each other out and while they are fixed in the updated version the agency presented, the $80 increase was still warranted, Peterson said.

"We brought it back with all the blisters and pimples showing," Peterson said. He added that the agency no longer works with that consultant.

Forster said in the future he would like the agency to evaluate fee increases each year so as to not hit business owners with large increases each time the county raises its fees.

Peterson said the agency would start to work on making that possible and offered to take the increase to the board but not have the fee become effective until January 2008.

The committee approved the suggestion.

Following discussion on the fee increase, the committee heard a presentation about the county's insurance coverage and the possibility of switching to a different provider.

The county's current insurance is provided through Excess Insurance Authority Health program. The rates from that program will increase 11 percent this year, according to the county's Risk Manager Veronica Feiock, but that increase is within the 20 percent the county left open in its budget for the matter. The county currently pays 90 percent of the fees for employees. After the increase takes effect, the rate for an active single employee will increase from about $431 to $479. The rates for two party employees and families will also increase.

Feiock reported that rates for Amador and Calaveras counties were higher than some other counties because of the lack of medical facilities in the area. Without urgent care facilities open seven days a week, many county employees are forced to use the emergency room at Sutter Amador Hospital, which in turn drives up the county's health care costs.

The committee asked Feiock to make the same presentation to the board. She asked to postpone that until she has more information about rates from other companies, saying, "I'm not confident that EIA may be the best choice for Amador County right now."