Chicopee expands HR department, saying short-staffing led to errors [masslive.com]

CHICOPEE — The city has promoted at least two people and hired a third in an attempt to rebuild the human resources department which faced criticism after city officials discovered it continued to pay health insurance premiums for employees and retirees after they quit or died.

The City Council is also considering a proposal to hire a second benefits coordinator at a salary of $52,000 after realizing work to oversee all the health insurance premiums was too much for one person.

“It is no secret we have one benefits coordinator who is handling the benefits for 4,100 employees and retirees,” Mayor John L. Vieau said. “We feel there has to be a second benefits coordinator.”

The city’s human resources department was already struggling after years of staff turnover. When Vieau took over in January 2020, the department was headed by the retired human resources director, who was serving as a consultant. That arrangement stayed for at least a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the fall, city officials found that the department was not reconciling health and dental benefits premiums. This resulted in the city continuing to pay premiums for retirees and their dependents who had died or employees who had resigned and were no longer receiving insurance.

City employees working with the insurance provider determined dental benefits were paid to 54 people who were dead or ineligible to receive them over two or three years’ time. Health insurance benefits are still being studied so the total loss has not been determined yet, but it is believed to have been less than $150,000, or less than 1% of the annual $15 million budget.

There were already vacancies when Paul Winspeare, the human resources director, resigned to take another position, and then the deputy chief, who was made interim director, resigned suddenly less than a month later in June, saying she and the department employees did not feel supported.

That left the department with about half the positions filled. One employee who was preparing to retire agreed to stay on for a little while to help the department stabilize, Vieau said.

Despite the problems, the city has received multiple applications from qualified people to fill positions, said Stephen Zajchowski, chief human resources officer who joined the department in July.

He said he has promoted Karla Bourassa, a senior generalist, to deputy chief and the administrative specialist Dana Lawes has been promoted to a generalist.

The city also hired Colin Stephen Larbi in the new position created in this year’s budget to oversee employee training.

The City Council is now considering the addition of the new position in its ordinance subcommittee. It is expected to return to the full council in a September meeting.

“It is a large burden on my current benefits manager as we are trying to get everything straightened out and reconciled,” Zajchowski said.

“We are all human. Things like this happen especially if you have that big of a workload,” said City Councilor William Courchesne.

Councilor Mary Beth Pniak-Costello agreed, saying the new position will help with the reconciliation of bills and accounts to ensure the city is only paying premiums for employees, retirees and their dependents who are eligible.

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