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Council keeps 90/10 split after motion to cover dental and vision premiums fails
Summary
Council debated whether the city should pay 100% of employee dental and vision premiums. Staff estimated the additional cost at about $37,300 annually; a motion to shift to full employer funding was moved and seconded but did not carry, so the 90/10 cost-share remains.
Danielle, a staff presenter, asked the Safford City Council to decide whether the city should pay 100% of employee dental and vision insurance premiums for the upcoming plan year or maintain the current 90/10 employer–employee split. She said staff prepared cost comparisons using current employee elections and that moving to a 100/0 employer split would add about $31,700 to the city’s dental cost and about $5,600 to vision, bringing annual employer costs to roughly $190,000 for dental and $31,600 for vision.
Council members asked whether the estimates reflected employee-only coverage and noted that totals could change if employees choose family tiers during open enrollment. Danielle said the figures are based on current elections and that open enrollment begins April 27, so the final impact will not be known until elections are complete. She also told the council there are 144 dental subscribers and 137 vision subscribers on the plans as of the estimate.
A councilmember moved to reapprove 100% coverage for dental and vision and the motion was seconded. The mayor called for a vote; after the vote the council left the existing 90/10 cost-share in place. The agenda moved on to the next item.
The council did not adopt a change to the benefit cost-share at this meeting; staff said the estimates will be finalized after open enrollment and any budget adjustments will be addressed in upcoming budget work. No formal dollar-amount vote tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.
