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Windsor Heights council reviews updated employee benefits booklet, forms ad hoc committee
Summary
City staff presented an updated FY27 employee benefits booklet covering health, retirement, PTO, on-call pay and stipends. Council agreed to form an ad hoc committee to work through handbook updates and consider policy adjustments, including phone stipends and on-call compensation.
City staff presented an overview of a revised FY27 employee benefits booklet at the Windsor Heights City Council meeting on May 18, detailing health, retirement and leave policies and prompting council members to form an ad hoc committee to review the handbook and recommended updates.
Presenters described the core benefits: medical, dental and vision plans; employer-paid life and AD&D coverage; dependent life coverage (noted as $5,000 per spouse and per child subject to age limits); and flexible spending accounts. Staff said short-term disability will include a newly proposed 50% employee cost share while long-term disability remains city-paid. Additional offerings highlighted included a pet-insurance discount, Rocket Lawyer access at no city cost, and employee assistance programs.
On retirement, the city participates in the state-mandated Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS) and a 457(b) deferred compensation plan. Staff said the handbook currently lists a $150 monthly city contribution for employees who opt out of health insurance or are on single plans; council noted union contract language differs and asked staff to align handbook language with contract terms.
Council members pressed staff for clarity on PTO and union differences: non-union employees accrue PTO under the handbook schedule, the non-union maximum accrual was reduced in 2024 from 500 to 400 hours (fire department contract remains at 500), and police and fire contracts handle holiday accrual differently because of shift schedules. Clothing allowance maximums were noted (police $850, fire $750, public works budgeted at $525).
Council debated handbook summer hours (the current handbook lists May–September, while multiple members said they expected Memorial Day–Labor Day). Staff said the handbook mirrors past city practice and will provide supporting references. Members also asked staff to explore options for the $80/month cell-phone stipend versus city-issued phones and first-responder plans that may cost $39–$49 per month; staff warned that use of personal phones for city business can trigger public-records obligations.
After the presentation, council discussed options for next steps and agreed to form an ad hoc committee to work through finer points of the handbook and benefits recommendations and to report back. Volunteers were solicited and meetings will be scheduled and posted.
