– City plan switches

Those with national "Obamacare" health-insurance policies aren't the only ones seeing their rates rise for 2026.

The city of Seymour faced a similar rate as City Clerk Leslie Houk shopped health-insurance rates for the coming year, with the city's current plan set to expire Dec. 31.

Currently, the city pays $525.59 per employee, per month for its current health plan from CoxHealth.

If the city stayed with that plan, that cost was set to jump to $709.86.

"It's something we just can't afford to do," City Administrator Hillary Elliott told the Seymour Board of Aldermen at the group's regular monthly meeting last Thursday night.

"Because of that, Leslie and I shopped around."

They acquired three quotes.

Of the three new rates, the best came from Angle Health, which quoted the city a cost of $489.16 per month for each employee.

"With this plan from Angle Health, there's no loss of benefits, and there's actually a lower out-of-pocket maximum," Elliott explained.

"What is the max out of pocket?" South Ward Alderman Dan Wehmer asked.

"It's now $1,500 if we go to Angle Health," Elliott responded. "Previously, it was $3,000."

She added that Angle Health also works with both the Cox and Mercy systems, which primarily are used by city employees.

The aldermen voted 4-0 to allow Elliott and Houk to move forward in changing the city's health-insurance plan to Angle Health, which becomes effective on Jan. 1.

In other city business Thursday, the aldermen:

Accepted a bid for $8,027 for the Seymour Police Department's 2019 Tahoe that was being sold as a surplus vehicle.

Submitting the bid was Tim Caya of Brookings, S.D.

He was the high bidder.

Other sealed bids came from the village of Diggins for $5,595, Ringwood Motors of Ringwood, Ill., for $4,680 and R&J Auto Sales of Fordland for $4,175.

Heard an update from Elliott that the sign-up period for city offices begins at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Seymour City Hall.

Seats with terms expiring include those held by Mayor Alicia Hagen, North Ward Alderman Jim Ashley and Wehmer.

All are two-year terms that expire next April.

The filing period continues through Tuesday, Dec. 30.

Moved the city's December meeting from Thursday, Dec. 18, to Thursday, Dec. 11.

Meeting time is 6 p.m.

Listened to a request from Elliott from local property owners Scott and April Hepko about their potential desire to build a food-truck court near the intersection of East Center Avenue and East Clinton Avenue.

"Right now, I think all the Hepkos want to know is if the aldermen are receptive to the idea," Elliott said.

No objections were raised.

All four aldermen were receptive to the idea.

Learned that the city's annual Christmas party for its employees arrives on Dec. 17 at city hall.

The event starts at noon.

Gave approval to Elliott to move forward with a proposed "Seymour Memorial Park Bench Program" for new benches in the Jimmy Crisp Memorial Park at the center of the Seymour square.

In the program, individuals or businesses can sponsor a new, 6-foot, steel-framed bench for $3,000, which is for a 10-year sponsorship.

Included is an inscription on an aluminum plaque of up to three lines with 20 characters per line.

Additional details about the program are available from Elliott or Theresa Mitchell at city hall. Either can be reached by calling 417-935-4401.

Received a report from Elliott that the city's cost for the recent fall community-wide clean up was just over $15,000.

She noted that there are 1,058 city-utility customers.

Of those, only 175 (17 percent) used the clean up.

"To spend $15,000 on an event that only 17 percent of our customers use is unacceptable," Elliott said. "This is our smaller (clean up) of the year, yet the cost was more than $15,000."

In the future, Elliott suggested the city limit its two cleanup events to three days each, held on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the spring and in the fall.

The aldermen agreed in a 4-0 vote.