Two meetings last week result in a slightly larger Russell Springs

On Tuesday, May 12, the city of Russell Springs held a special called meeting to introduce an ordinance to annex property located at 834 East Steve Warner Drive into the city limits.

Mayor Eddie Thomas introduced the ordinance, saying the city had consent signed by the property owners for annexation.

City Attorney David Smith read the ordinance into the record. The property is 1.861 acres located at Owenstown Road and East Hwy 80. The address is that of East 80 Spirits.

“We have consent signed by the current owners of the property. The boundaries of the city will be amended if the annexing is approved after the second reading of the ordinance,” stated Smith.

On Thursday, May 14, the city met for the regular monthly meeting and had the second reading of the ordinance which was then approved by the council.

Insurance for city employees was the main item on the agenda for the remainder of the meeting Thursday. Up first was the renewal of the contract for health and dental insurance.

“We have been working with the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) on healthcare and dental insurance,” said City Clerk Chris Ramsey. “There is a 2.27% increase in the healthcare plan for city employees which will go into effect in July. I had anticipated an increase of eight to ten percent, so the increase was much less than we had planned for.”

Ramsey said the only real change for employees will be the copays on their prescription plans. The Tier 2 copay will increase an additional $5 while the Tier 3 drug copay will go up $25. The dental plan will stay the same for next year, which is fully paid for by the employees. Ramsey thanked Mayor Thomas, saying he was very helpful in the negotiations to get the lower rates. The council approved renewing the health plan through KLC.

The city’s property and casualty insurance is also up for renewal. KLC offered a three-year renewal deal with a guarantee the rate will not increase more than three percent for the term of the contract. Ramsey said KLC has been very good to work with on insurance.

“We’ve had a few claims and they have processed them very quickly. I think it is a fair proposal and it does give us lock in coverage for three years,” stated Ramsey. The contract is paid annually, not for three years up front. The council approved renewal of the contract.

Finally, the city’s workers compensation insurance had to be renewed. KLC was once again able to off the best option according to Ramsey. The contract for workers’ compensation is similar to the offer for property and casualty insurance. KLC guaranteed the rate would not exceed a three percent increase for the three-year contract term. For workers’ comp insurance, the city pays an expected rate and then is audited each year on that rate. This year, the city had to pay an additional $182 according to Ramsey while the previous year say the city receive a credit on the policy of approximately $300. The council approved renewal of the contract.

As the meeting drew to a close, Mayor Thomas stated, “I want to thank the police department here during national police week. I also want to thank Little Caesar’s Pizza because they have been feeding the fire department two days a week for free for the past six weeks. We want to make sure to thank them. That is special for them to help the police department and fire department. They are the unsung heroes and I don’t want to miss a chance to thank them.”