Commissioners OK $2,500 for branding effort, review more budgets

Commissioners also approved a proposal by county risk manager Jennifer Phelps to create a safety team of county employees to promote a better work environment. Phelps said items of discussion will include safety and incident reporting requirements, housekeeping items and what she described as “atypical” topics outside of the usual ones, such as no texting while driving.

“We need to bring a safety culture to our employees and understand why safety is important, not just for us as a county because everybody thinks if they don’t file a claim they’re OK or they think workers compensation is some bottomless pit of money that doesn’t affect the county,” she said. “That’s not true. It’s like auto insurance — it’s there if you need it, but it costs you money if you use it.”