Council approves emergency appropriation after city reports high health‑claims; transfers planned to cover firefighter overtime

Council members approved an emergency ordinance to increase appropriations for the hospitalization (employee health insurance) plan after staff said unusually large claims required additional budget authority.

Councilman Martin moved to suspend the rule requiring multiple readings of the ordinance; the motion passed on roll call. The council then voted to adopt ordinance 32,025 on an emergency basis after discussion about the city's stop‑loss (reinsurance) reimbursements and overall budget impact. Councilman Cromwell said the appropriation "kinda caught me off guard," explaining that several high claims had triggered reimbursements under the city's larger insurance policy, and that the appropriation would fund claims for the remainder of the year.

In an earlier finance report, council members and the mayor discussed firefighter overtime as a recurring budget pressure. The finance committee recommended transfers out of the general fund to cover overtime through the end of the year while longer‑term solutions are developed. Councilman Martin and others indicated transfers will be recommended in forthcoming legislation.

Council did not provide a full itemized account in the meeting for every line item; one speaker said the hospitalization budget had originally been set at about $2,800,000 for the year but additional appropriations were needed to cover stop‑loss activity.

The ordinance to amend annual appropriations and related procedural votes were recorded during the meeting; council also approved a separate resolution adopting tax amounts and rates later in the session.