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Washington council approves employee health coverage, holiday pay and insurance renewals
Summary
The council voted to pay full 2025 premiums for the city BCBS family plan, reimburse certain Medicare premiums, approve holiday pay and scrip gifts, and renew the city's Advance employee-insurance policy; most measures passed unanimously, with one split vote on the Christmas Eve half day and one split vote on a Lions Club reimbursement.
The Washington City Council on Nov. 4 approved a package of personnel and benefits measures including payment of employee health-insurance premiums, a Medicare premium reimbursement, holiday pay changes, and renewal of the city's group insurance policy.
Council approved paying the full premium for 2025 employee, spouse, children and family coverage under the Blue Cross Blue Shield Platinum SG Option A plan and allowing employees to add family dental coverage at their own expense. The council also voted to reimburse Medicare-eligible employees and spouses who are not enrolled in the city's BCBS plan for their 2025 Medicare premiums; both motions passed unanimously.
The council approved giving full-time employees a half day off on Christmas Eve 2024 with pay. That motion passed 4–1, with Councilmember Terry Morse recorded as the lone vote against the half-day motion. The council also approved a scrip payment program: $50 scrip for full-time employees and $30 scrip for active fire and EMS employees; that motion passed unanimously.
Separately, council approved renewal of the Advance insurance policy, which provides employee life, short-term disability and accidental death coverage, for 2025.
In related financial actions, the council approved a reimbursement to the Lions Club of $2,838.65 from the Larry Davison bequest to cover shelter-house costs exceeding $12,000; that motion passed 3–2 (Ayes: Amy Anderson, Mary Ann Crome, Jerry Fuhrken; Nays: Terry Morse, Carolyn Pinnick).
The city clerk recorded votes on these items in open session. The council did not provide additional budget detail in the public record during the meeting; staff were authorized to proceed with the policies and to implement the insurance and payroll changes.
