Board to decide city’s 2019 health insurance provider

City board members will consider approving a contract on Tuesday night that will determine the health and medical insurance provider for city employees for 2019.

The city recently published a bid request to insurance providers, and received bids from four companies, according to a city staff report. City staff is recommending the lowest bid, which was submitted by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) in the amount of $1.71 million. This figure reflects the projected annual increase for next year, which is determined on the basis of employee participation rates in the insurance plan.

The bid is three percent higher than the current plan, which amounts to $1.66 million, according to a city staff report. Nonetheless, BCBS’s bid is lower than the other three bids submitted, which requested increases ranging from 11.7 percent to 18.3 percent.

Additional provisions in the bid request for the plan included a $1,000 deductible preferred provider organization plan (PPO) and a $2,000 high deductible health plan (HDHP), according to a city staff report.

Following this discussion, the meeting’s agenda consists of six additional items:

• The second reading of an ordinance that would rezone the .49 acre property located at 817 N. Mt. Olive St. from R-2 (residential, medium) to R-4 (residential, multi-family), according to a city staff report. The ordinance has received substantial opposition from residents who live near the property since it was first presented to the planning and zoning commission during their June 12 meeting.

• The third reading of an ordinance that would amend city code to eliminate an incentive currently offered to industrialscale energy users who own their