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Council hears GMA on health insurance renewal and retirement options; staff to return with recommendations by Sept. 10
Summary
Georgia Municipal Association representatives briefed the Milledgeville City Council on the city's 2025 health insurance renewal and retirement plan options, citing high claims and potential plan design changes; staff will present recommendations at the Sept. 10 meeting and must notify GMA by Sept. 13.
Representatives from the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) briefed the Milledgeville City Council on Aug. 27 about the city’s 2025 employee benefit renewal and retirement plan options.
Dagmar Woodson, GMA Life and Health member support field representative, said the city is in a renewal period for plan year 2025. She told council the pool is self‑funded and that the city’s claims this year ran higher than premiums; GMA’s analysis showed about 60% of the city’s claims were from high claimants (claims over $50,000) and 32% were lifestyle‑related. Woodson outlined possible options to reduce the renewal increase modestly, including changing the network from PPO to POS (estimated ~5% savings) or increasing deductibles (smaller savings).
Randy Briskin, a GMA field representative, discussed retirement options including the defined benefit (pension) plans GMA administers and a defined contribution (401a/457) program. He described choices the city could make about employer contributions (automatic, match, or hybrid), vesting schedules (up to five years or graduated), and default investment options (target‑date funds managed by T. Rowe Price). Briskin noted administrative and record‑keeping arrangements and said participation rises when employers offer matches or automatic enrollment.
City Manager Hank Griffith said staff and HR will digest the GMA materials and bring recommendations to the Sept. 10 council meeting. Griffith said the city must notify GMA of its choices by Sept. 13. Woodson said GMA will return in October to educate employees ahead of open enrollment, which runs in October–November and would take effect Jan. 1 for plan year 2025.
The presentation provided detailed plan options and data but did not include a council vote; staff will deliver specific proposals and cost comparisons for council action in September.
