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Council declines to adopt ordinance allowing councilmembers into city health plan after lengthy debate
Summary
Council debated a proposed ordinance that would let council members participate in the city's group health insurance if they pay 100% of the premium, with legal and equity concerns raised; no motion was offered and the item died for lack of a motion.
Council considered an ordinance (2025‑86) to permit council members to participate in the city's group health program provided they pay 100% of the required premium. Staff described legal precedents and actuarial concerns for a small municipal risk pool, noting that adding council members could influence the city’s loss ratios in a small pool.
"The concern that I have from an administrative perspective is we are a small risk pool... a sickly member of the pool, just a few catastrophic losses will cause the rates to increase over a period of years," City Manager Sylvia warned, citing recent claim history and projected premium increases. Several council members expressed concern about public perception, conflict of interest and precedent; Councilmember Meyer argued that providing employee‑style benefits to elected officials risks public trust and could be perceived as self‑serving. Because no member moved to approve the ordinance, the item died for lack of a motion.
