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Mayor raises long-term city health-insurance liability during pre-council; council members disagree on origin and urgency
Summary
Mayor Terry Darcy warned of large unfunded health-insurance liabilities tied to the city’s current plan; other council members said the issue predates the 2016 agreement. The matter was discussed at the Sept. 15 pre-council meeting but no formal action was taken there.
Mayor Terry Darcy used the City of Joliet pre-council meeting on Sept. 15, 2025, to raise concerns about the city’s long-term health-insurance obligations, saying the city faces a significant unfunded liability tied to its current plan. Darcy urged attention to the liability alongside other budget items coming before the council.
“I want this out in the public,” Mayor Darcy said. “This year, we’re going to insure 1,590 people, dollars 37,000,000 unfunded. That’s $711,000 per week. If I really break it down, that’s $4.74 per resident per week.” Darcy said the current plan was negotiated in 2016 and cannot be changed without collective-bargaining discussions before 2030.
The mayor also estimated the future annual cost of insurance “expected to be about 65 to 70,000,000,” remarks that drew responses from other council members who said the city’s long-term insurance and spending choices were established across multiple prior administrations. One council member noted the fiscal choices “started years and years ago” and not solely in 2016.
Mayor Darcy said some unions have started discussions with the city about the plan. “At least some of the unions are sitting with us right now to talk about this,” he said, and urged staff and colleagues to study the fiscal implications.
The remarks occurred during staff review of several upcoming agenda items, including group health, dental, vision, and life insurance renewal for active employees (Council Memo 4-96-25), which was on the pre-council review. No formal council vote about the health plan occurred at the pre-council meeting; the item remained on the agenda for the upcoming regular meeting.
Council members and members of the public used the same meeting to debate other budget and capital items appearing on the agenda, including sidewalk maintenance contracts, water and sewer emergency repairs, engineering services for roadway projects and multiple Community Development Block Grant subrecipient awards. The pre-council meeting closed after a motion to enter closed session on personnel, collective bargaining and related topics, which passed by recorded voice votes with all present members responding “Aye.”
