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Council approves ongoing benefits consultant contract after debate over recurring fees
Summary
Council approved a contract to retain benefits consulting services (Cunningham and Butler) after members debated whether such work should remain in-house; supporters cited multi-year savings that they said offset consultant fees and the HR director said the firm helped negotiate better renewal terms.
The Muskego common council voted to retain the city’s benefits consultant (listed in the packet as Cunningham and Butler) after a discussion about whether benefits consulting should be a recurring expense.
Alderman Deb Schrader questioned why the city needed a consultant rather than relying on the HR director to shop and negotiate plans, calling frequent consultant contracts and costs a concern. Other council members, including Alderman Bryce and city HR staff, defended the consultant relationship as a best practice for municipalities and said the firm had produced significant savings in prior years.
An HR speaker identified as Kate said the consultant supports compliance, benchmarking and carrier negotiations and that the benefits program managed by the consultant covers a $2.5 million-plus benefit budget serving more than 120 full-time employees. Supporters said the consultant’s work had already produced savings—one estimate cited about $280,000 since 2022.
On a roll call, recorded votes showed a majority in favor: Alders Wolf, Hamill, Bryce, Dilge and Madden voted yes; Alders Decker and Schrader voted no. The motion carried and the council authorized the contract, with staff to proceed under the vendor terms.
