ORDER-2017-123 : A Transfer of funds in the amount of $637,366.19 from various accounts to various accounts as set forth within. Of these funds $610,000 will be used to cover the snow and ice deficit and the remaining $27,366.19 will be used to cover departmental salary adjustments and Police Department expenses.

Transcript (~8 min @ 1:10:15)

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▶ 1:09:59 Peter D. Mortimer: Seeing no other Alderman wishing to speak on this order. Motion to recommend. Alderman McAteer-Margolis has made a motion to recommend this order for passage. Absolutely seconded by Alderman Zwirko. All in favor of the recommendation for passage, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed, hearing none, this order will be recommended for passage at our next full board meeting. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Delarusso. The next order we have before us is order 2017-123. It is a transfer of funds in the amount of $637,366.19 from various accounts to various accounts as set forth within. Of these funds, $610,000 will be used to cover the snow and ice deficit, and the remaining $27,366.19 will be used to cover departmental salary adjustments and police department expenses. Mr. De La Russo, please.

▶ 1:10:59 Speaker 3: Yes, thank you, through the chair. this order specifically 95 percent of this order 610 000 will be used to cover the snow and ice deficit of 730 000 that the city incurred to date i pray that that's it um having said that

▶ 1:11:19 Speaker 3: there are some additional requests relative to a transfers again these are transfers these are not appropriations these are the difference is that a transfer is an existing fund something already raised and and in motion if you want to call it that within a respective department funds are being transferred from one department to another so Thorp no net increase i.e on the expenditure level for the fiscal year it's the use of the funds and what and the transfer provides an option to to basically reuse a fund if it's not needed in one department to assist in another and Thorp no greater need clearly than to address our snow and ice deficit that way and eliminate it so that it doesn't carry forward into future years we've been very very very successful doing that and i want to continue that through the participation of this board having said that i think you'll find the first three items relative to high equipment 250 000 salt and chemicals 240,000 snow overtime 120,000 for a total of 610,000 on top of that Thorp a request of ten thousand four forty one ninety six relative to the alderman salary and wages I think everyone here is well aware that there a transition and we had a retirement and this also allowed for training for amy during that transition the next one is a city solicitor of 5777.11 and that has to do with the responsibility that was asked of by kelly cargavan to assist in the cemetery department to do additional work as well as workers compensation act work that previously was not assigned to her and his additional work was done and completed at that time and that is to cover that cost for this fiscal year mr. van camp and I believe is here if

▶ 1:13:39 Speaker 3: Thorp any additional questions the next items Thorp five in a row relative to police expense uniforms radio systems upgrade training an amount of 32 59 29 professional services 920 dollars and the last one is the police building and maintenance of 260 dollars I believe chief chief Lyle is here if Thorp any questions on any particular item president con please yeah thank you

▶ 1:14:10 Speaker 1: I'm fully supportive of retiring the snow deficit in whatever year it's incurred, if we possibly can. I had a couple of questions relative to the funding sources, Mr. Del Russo.

▶ 1:14:24 Speaker 3: Certainly.

▶ 1:14:26 Speaker 1: How is it that we have $420,000 available in the group health account?

▶ 1:14:33 Speaker 3: thank you Thorp a letter that was prepared to the board of all them to the chair on april 5th on marianne long um specifically she indicates that the 420 000 that we're able to provide to this effort is due to the fact that we now have 80 employees opting out of the health insurance the opt-out program which saves significant dollars per employee the program pays 3 000 per year for an individual that decides not to participate in the city's insurance plan and it pays 6 500 per year for a family plan to interpret a person not to participate this is paid every year and what's happened uh in a successful ways that we've been able to her office in particular with the school department to meet with employees to discuss this option make it available and to actually work to you know make it something that would be of

▶ 1:15:42 Speaker 1: interest and she's been very successful yeah that that has been a successful and forward-looking

▶ 1:15:48 Speaker 1: program and very much so do do we know at this juncture or do we have to wait till um later in the year to to have a sense of whether we're going to have similar numbers of people taking the

▶ 1:16:02 Speaker 3: insurance from the city in the upcoming year i'm hopeful for that i do know that they're specifically that they have set up actual sessions with the school as well as the city but the school to actually meet with various groups on this point forward over the next month and so in particular to engage them um because open enrollment is april 5th to may 3rd whether we've had our

▶ 1:16:27 Speaker 3: own enrollment period so we are actively um seeking uh through her office in particular uh in the school department so they're working hand in hand to to try to bring uh interest to people now um and allow us to have savings obviously going into fy18 and thereafter so it's a continuous program and i really am happy she's been very successful when you when you

▶ 1:16:50 Speaker 1: build your budget for health insurance for next year by the time you send the budget down are you going to have a sense as to how many individuals are going to be opting to take

▶ 1:17:02 Speaker 3: insurance through the city yes i anticipate that by the time that what receives the budget which I believe it will be May 8th, we'll have at least a general understanding as to how many employees. Some employees, I believe, have actually joined in mid-year also. We've seen that transition, but again, it's a matter of us keeping it out there, letting people know it's not a one-time payment, it's an annual payment. And so, as we present the health insurance budget this year, Obviously, this is going to help with the appropriation itself, so it's a double win this year and next fiscal year and the year after. And we'll let you know how many employee sheet that we anticipate, but 80 is a very, very good number. If you recall, it's only been a few years that we've had this in place, and it's really grown. I'm hoping it continues.

▶ 1:17:57 Speaker 1: Thank you. Those are all the questions I had, Mr. Chairman.

▶ 1:18:00 Peter D. Mortimer: Thank you, President Kahn. Next in line, we have Alderman Inferno, please.

▶ 1:18:03 Gail Infurna: was all said i really had a point of order but he just clarified it i thought i heard eight and then the letter says 80 so i was a little confused but it is 80. that's correct zero thank you that is

▶ 1:18:16 Peter D. Mortimer: correct very good thank you alderman inferno i'm seeing no further alderman wishing to be heard on this order is there a motion to recommend alderman mary beth mcintyre margolis has made a motion to recommend this order for passage duly seconded by alderman Boisselle seeing no further discussion All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, this order will be recommended for passage to our full board.