Calion moves on health plan for city staff

Calion held its monthly city council meeting on Thursday, April 8. The council approved the previous meeting’s minutes, financial reports and the payment of monthly bills at the beginning of the meeting.

In old business, Calion Mayor Bill Yutzy presented the council with design suggestions for a Welcome to Calion sign the council has discussed in several previous meetings.

Yutzy presented example signs from around

Union County, including the South Arkansas Arboretum sign and the city of Smackover’s welcome sign.

In the subsequent discussion, several council members asked Yutzy to investigate and present prices at the next meeting, which he agreed to do.

The next old business item was an update on changing a speed limit sign on Main Street. A resolution to match the incoming and outgoing speed limits at 35 miles per hour when entering and exiting Calion towards Highway 167 passed in February.

Yutzy informed the council that the speed limit sign has been replaced.

Yutzy also updated the council on a previously-passed resolution to improve lighting at North Park in Calion.

“The lighting for the park has been ordered and we got confirmation, but I don’t think anything has been done yet,” Yutzy said.

The meeting then moved to new business.

The central item of discussion was based on a proposal from Municipal League Health Insurance for the city’s full-time employees.

“There’s three options [for health insurance] and first of all, we need to decide [if] we’re willing to do this. Then we need to decided what percentage the city will pick up,” Yutzy said.

Council members looked over the prices of the plans and discussed which option to choose as well as what percentage the city should pay.

“I would say at least pay half, if not 75%,” council member Chanel Hicks said.

“I was thinking we pay 75 to 80 [percent]… I’ve got it figured, $4,600 per year for the first [plan], $5,080 for the second [plan] and $5,600 for the third option, per employee. So we’re looking at $15, 16,000 per year if we pay all of it,” council member Todd Parker said.

The deductibles for the three plans are $500, $1,200 and $2,000 respectively, according to information on the Arkansas Municipal League’s website.

A motion to present to the city’s three full-time city employees option two at the yearly price listed above with the city of Calion taking on 75% of the premium passed unanimously.

The next Calion City Council meeting will be held on Thursday, May 13.