Measures taken to form a safety committee could save the county thousands of dollars in premium payments.

Dallas County Human Resources director Brenda Wood said by following guidelines associated with establishing a safety incentive program, the county can greatly reduce the amount it pays each year and increase accountability.

Her office, Wood said, has already begun implementing the policies suggested by the program. Now, she said, there is only one more move left.

“One was to establish a safety committee and we have already done that,” she said. “In the past few months we have adopted several policies in relation to safety. The only other thing we need to do is establish a safety coordinator.”

Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard said he felt Wood should serve in this capacity because of her efforts to get this program off and running.

“Roy (Moore) used to serve on that board and now I serve on the board and they made some recommendations that if we were to form a safety committee and have regular documented meetings we could reduce our premium by as much as $11,000 a year,” he said. “To Brenda’s credit, she has done all of those things and had three or four meaningful meetings. I compliment her on those things and I think she is the logical person to be named the safety coordinator.”

The program, Wood said, will benefit the county tremendously across the board.

“I think it has great potential for us,” she said. “I think it is going to give accountability for what we are going to do as a county to try to reduce the amount of money we are going to pay and to increase our safety efforts.”