Health insurance contract back on agenda for Wilkes-Barre City Council [The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.]

Oct. 25—WILKES-BARRE — The $7.8 million health insurance contract with Highmark is back on City Council's work session agenda for further discussion Tuesday night.

Council asked for additional time to review the contract after it was first introduced two weeks ago and pulled from a subsequent vote during the Oct. 13 public meeting.

The work session begins at 6 p.m. in Council's fourth-floor chambers at City Hall. The public can attend, but cannot participate in the discussions. The work session will be recorded for viewing on the city's website under City Council Meeting Minutes, https://www.wilkes-barre.city/node/24/minutes.

At the public meeting Mayor George Brown sought to dispel any misconceptions about whether Risk Strategies|Joyce Insurance Group was receiving a broker's fee for negotiating the contract on behalf of the city. He told Council the city will not be charged any fees and Highmark's offer was firm. The deal presented to the city was 3% more than the existing rate, but lower than the 7% increase first presented by Highmark.

Furthermore, Brown said he was not adverse to Council asking for more time. But he noted it could not be drawn out for a lengthy period because the city must have the numbers in place in order for employees to sign up for coverage during an open enrollment period.

Brown acknowledged Council should have approved previous health insurance contracts.

"For the last 20 years it has not been on Council's agenda. So we're correcting something that was a mistake," said Brown, who sat on council from 2012 to 2016.

Council will have the opportunity to approve infrastructure projects costing more than $1 million. On the agenda for discussion is the award of a contract for work on the channel walls of Laurel Run and Mill Creek to James T. O'Hara Inc. of Covington Township, the lowest responsible bidder. The projects will be paid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Also on the agenda are two ordinances requiring second and final readings for approval.

Council has already held the first reading to amend the consumer fireworks section of the existing ordinance so it conforms with the new state law that went into effect at the end of September. It likewise approved the first reading to amend the Utilities ordinance and repeal the section on tappage fees to eliminate duplication of language contained in Building Regulations ordinance.

Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.

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