Published: December 21, 2007 10:37 am      

Insurance anxiety erupts at Camanche council meeting

CLINTON — Dozens of Camanche city employees expressed their concerns regarding the renewal of the city’s insurance policy during the council meeting Tuesday night.

City Administrator Tom Roth introduced the issue, saying the discussion was put on hold at the previous council meeting held Dec. 4 because the city was obtaining a quote from United Health Care of the River Valley. Roth said he submitted city employee information to the company and met with company representatives earlier in the day. He noted that in the meantime, the city needs an insurance plan in effect in January, and said there is no problem reauthorizing the one-year contract with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. He said if the council decides to switch insurance carriers later, the city may do so by providing 30 days notice.

City Attorney Tom Lonergan noted that a change in the co-payment policy would reduce the premium paid by the city, saving Camanche approximately $8,800 per year. The policy change incorporates a $15 office co-pay and a $100 emergency room co-pay, to be paid by city employees. Lonergan advised that per union contracts, the city would reimburse employees for the expense through June 2008. He also advised the council that the city did not have to incorporate the co-payment policy change if they chose not to.

Council member Trevor Willis said it would be “silly not to” utilize the co-pay option. Council member Ron Wehde said that if in the upcoming union negotiations, the city does not negotiate with the employees to pay the co-payment starting in July, the city might not save money after all. He acknowledged the council needed to pass a motion on the insurance renewal that night.

Roth said a lot of time had been spent discussing healthcare insurance in the past weeks and stated he felt an obligation to the community to investigate the possibility of saving the city money. He said the city is financially responsible to the taxpayers, but also needs to be responsive to city employees needs. Mayor Jim Robertson asked Roth for his recommendation and Roth advised the council to approve the co-payment policy change. The council approved a motion to renew the insurance plan with Wellmark BCBS with the co-payment policy change.

Mark Hilgendorf, a city employee in the Public Works Department, asked the council what was the problem with leaving the insurance policy as is, saying he didn’t see the current cost hurting the city. Robertson reiterated that the council has a fiscal responsibility to the taxpayer to try to save money. Mike Yackshaw, also an employee in the city Public Works Department, stated he didn’t understand why the city would change the co-payment policy until after union negotiations had been finalized for the next year. Yackshaw asked how the $8,000 would be such a boon to the city.

Roth said the insurance fund is paid for through taxes and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Lamont advised this fiscal year was the first for that. Willis said that the self-insured policy was great when it was implemented, but has served its useful purpose.

“We can’t continue to feed the kitty to keep it going,” Willis said.

Camanche Police Chief Bob Houzenga said the program might have outlived its usefulness to the city, but certainly not to the employees. He said that with the change, the city employees would be picking up hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.

“The folks that actually make the city run, the professionals that work here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, about 275 cumulative years of experience, run the city full-time,” Houzenga said. “The decisions you folks make when you move onto something else, stick with us forever.”

Houzenga said he didn’t think there would be taxpayer savings so much as a redirection of funds. He asked the council if the cost savings would be used toward other projects and Council member Ken Fahlbeck stated he would hope so. Former Camanche Police Officer and new council member for 2008 Paul Varner noted that he just finished campaigning in the city and never had any citizen express a concern about the money being spent by the city, except to note a lack of sufficient police and fire protection. Fahlbeck said Varner would hear those concerns from the public when he is on the council.

Council member Linda Kramer said the city cannot operate without the city employees and needs to take what they are saying into consideration. She said she is thankful for the employees and their work and doesn’t want to lose them. Robertson said he thinks that sentiment is shared by the council. Yackshaw said the vote already occurred to change the insurance policy and it will be harder to change back under the negotiations.

Camanche Fire Chief Dave Schutte said that the employees are being told no change for employees will occur until possibly after negotiations, but employees feel it will be “a done deal.” Yackshaw agreed that the already agreed-upon change would muddle negotiations.

Camanche Assistant Police Chief Steve Runge said that he knows a lot of people who won’t have $100 if a trip to the emergency room is needed. Police Officer Tom Runge agreed, saying that if he slips and falls, he would have to worry about having the money to go to the emergency room, even though the money would be reimbursed by the city later. Schutte said the city shouldn’t save money at the employees’ expense and it shouldn’t be the city employees’ responsibility to bear that burden.

Houzenga remarked that he takes issue with the city leaders talking about being conservative with city funds because the department heads and city employees are fiscally responsible every day, cutting costs where they can, even clipping coupons to buy supplies. Public Works Director Dave Rickertsen said his department has worked one employee short for a long time to save the city money. Houzenga noted the police department currently is three personnel short. Schutte noted that city employees, especially City Employee Daryl Yoder, save the city thousands of dollars per year that people probably don’t even realize, and wouldn’t until the city loses those people for higher-paying jobs.

Robertson said he values and thinks highly of city employees and their comments are well-received. He said he knows it is an emotional issue and the council will weigh the issue further.