The topic of discussion at Tuesday’s Piedmont City Council meeting concerned a possible health insurance increase for city employees.
City officials in attendance told the council that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama had recently increased the cost of providing health insurance to Piedmont employees by about $6,000 per month. The concern now is how much of the increase the city can absorb and how much will the city need to pass on to its employees.
According to city officials, half of the increase could be recovered by a $5 per month increase for individuals and a $20 increase for family coverage. Currently, city employees pay $5 per month for individual coverage and $100 per month for family coverage.
Council Members Brenda Spears and Frank Cobb expressed concern about how this increase would negatively affect those employees who make the lowest wages.
The council is expected to vote on the issue at the next meeting, after looking at the numbers and considering several possibilities.
City officials also gave an update on the bridge project on the Old Piedmont-Gadsden Highway near the warehouse currently occupied by Pemco and Industrial Resin Recycling. The strengthening of the bridge, as requested by company officials, has been put out for a bid and should be completed within a month.
The only measure passed during the Tuesday’s meeting was bills for payment in the amount of $108,417.08 in addition to a payroll amount of $124,719.61 for a total of $233,136.69 with Council Member Brenda Spears voting “No.”
The next regular Piedmont City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th, at 6 pm.