SHELBYVILLE. The city's Employee Benefits Review Committee met Thursday, Oct. 15, at 10 a.m. in Council Chambers at 100 N. Cannon Blvd. The main item on the posted agenda was the employee health insurance renewal.
City Council had voted at its last meeting to put the city's health plan out for bids. The committee pulled back from that for now. Staff said the bid packet wasn't ready, and members said quotes this late in the year wouldn't tell them much, since the city just moved its plan to a calendar year.
Several members said they'd rather stay with Blue Cross. One said switching carriers and raising deductibles in the same year would be a lot to put on employees.
Staff gave the current enrollment for the city and library: 161 employee-only, 32 employee plus spouse, 21 employee plus child and 16 family. The city pays the full employee-only premium and half of the added cost for spouse or dependent coverage. Members talked about how hard rate increases land on family plans and whether the city could pick up more of that share.
They also talked about starting market research earlier next year, around March or April, so any rate increase can be built into the budget.
Council member Feldhaus moved to recommend that City Council delay the bid request. The motion passed with no one opposed. Members said Council could get the update in November or through the city manager.
The committee's next meeting was posted for Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers, with the health insurance renewal on the agenda.
The city streamed the meeting on its YouTube channel.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwLLs-xUs0I
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