McCaysville City Council members voted to change the city’s health insurance carrier for employees, heard that time is running out for some grant monies, and gathered behind closed doors to discuss the police department when they met in regular session Tuesday, December 9, at city hall.
Councilwoman Gilita Carter said the city’s health insurance, provided by Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BC/BS) and purchased through Dickey-McCays Insurance in Copperhill, is increasing six percent, from $325,980 to $345,550 a year, a total of $19,570.
She said city representatives met with Mark Brooks of Dickey-McCay, but had been unable to avoid the increase.
They also met with a representative of MSI Benefits Group out of Ellijay whose quote to provide the health insurance for employees was $290,727, a savings of a little over $35,000 compared to the current BC/BS rate.
Carter said insurance through MSI would offer employees more options than the current plan, such as adding vision and dental at the employees’ cost, and would also carry a long-term disability option. The city would pay for the disability for all employees at an annual cost of $2,258.
Carter said if employees kept their current insurance options, their costs would not go up.
The new insurance would be provided through BC/BS, but would not be the same as the current PPO plan.
Both Councilman Larry Collis and Councilwoman Sue Beaver raised concerns over making the change.
Beaver said she would prefer to keep the insurance local, but understood the need to save money.
Collis told Carter, “I haven’t seen any of this, and I don’t know enough to vote for it.”
Both questioned how MSI could beat the local insurer’s price by so much.
Councilwoman Susan Kiker said MSI is “a much larger agency.”
Carter said the Ellijay company does not usually talk to cities as small as McCaysville. “He did this as a favor to Susan (Councilwoman Kiker),” Carter said of the MSI representative, who she did not name.
Kiker confirmed she had dealings with MSI through her work at Fannin Regional Hospital.
The vote to make the change was unanimous.
Mayor Thomas Seabolt said he and City Clerk Nancy Godfrey will be seeking another extension for the OneGeorgia Grant for the city park. The time frame for the grant is about to expire.
Also, Godfrey said no one has picked up copies of the plans for which the city is seeking Requests for Proposals for the improvements at the park.
However, with the bid opening still over a month away, council members were not concerned.
Thomas also said it is time to apply for a LMIG grant for the city, money from the state that has to be used to fix roads or sidewalks. He said $19,300 is available and requires a $5,790 match from the city.
Council members agreed the first project to consider is the repaving of Bridge Street between West Tennessee Avenue and the steel bridge. A large section of the street was recently dug up for sewer line work.
Kiker made a motion to make a $15.00/hour rate for part-time police officers retroactive to when the new part time officers were hired. She said, while the pay scale for the position is listed at $14.19/hour, the council previously agreed to the higher salary. The motion passed unanimously.
Police Chief Michael Earley told council members the city’s permit to put a crosswalk across Highway 60 at Toccoa River Tubing expires in February. He said a contractor has contacted him and is hoping to do the work after the first of the year. If it is not done before the permit expires, the city will have to go through the entire permit application process again, Earley said. The owner of Toccoa River Tubing has agreed to pay for the work.
As Seabolt prepared to adjourn the meeting, Kiker asked for an executive session to discuss police department personnel. The board voted unanimously to do so, and the meeting room was cleared so the council could talk in secret. They did not reveal the subject of their discussion when they allowed the meeting to resume, and then adjourned.