← Appropriations & Oversight Committee · 2016-04-25 · Appropriations and Oversight Committee Meeting
ORDER-2016-154 : Transfer of 98,329.79 from group health providers to various accounts as set forth within.
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ORDER-2016-154 Transfer Transfer of 98,329.79 from group health providers to various accounts as set forth within. Recommend Passage Board of Aldermen
Transcript
▶ 33:14 Peter D. Mortimer: What we have before us is order 2016-154. It is a transfer of $98,329.79 from group health providers to various accounts as set forth within. It was offered by Mayor Dolan and referred to this committee.
▶ 33:39 Speaker 2: Mr. DelaRusso.
▶ 34:01 Speaker 7: Good evening and thank you again.
▶ 34:03 Speaker 2: Good evening, sir.
▶ 34:05 Speaker 7: I would ask respectfully that the respective department heads, As we go through the order one by one, also appear before the board, if that's okay with the chairman.
▶ 34:17 Peter D. Mortimer: Certainly, that's an appropriate itinerary.
▶ 34:21 Speaker 2: Thank you.
▶ 34:22 Speaker 7: The first one, again, we're asking for 98,329.79 transfer again. From group health providers to the various accounts as listed. The first is the fire department, chief. Do you have a second? The $55,000, it's entitled fire expense, motor vehicle repair and maintenance.
▶ 34:45 Speaker 5: Good evening. Requesting an additional $55,000 to the motor vehicle line. We've had numerous breakdowns throughout the year. Captain Gibson does a great job on preventative maintenance, but unforeseen problems continue to happen and need to be addressed or else the apparatus will be out of service.
▶ 35:05 Peter D. Mortimer: Does anyone have any questions for Chief Leary? Seeing none, I think we can proceed. Oh, President Kahn, please.
▶ 35:13 Speaker 3: How did you arrive at the $55,000 figure here?
▶ 35:17 Speaker 5: We have outstanding bills that we have to pay.
▶ 35:19 Speaker 3: In that amount? Yes.
▶ 35:22 Speaker 5: We had left a little buffer there for repairs going forward to the end of the year. But since this was brought forward for tonight, we've had additional repairs.
▶ 35:35 Speaker 3: Is this going to get everything that's down into service?
▶ 35:39 Speaker 5: Everything is in service currently, but going forward, if we need additional repairs, I might have to come back to the board.
▶ 35:45 Speaker 3: And again, what are you budgeting for fire repairs for next year, Mr. De La Russo, if you know?
▶ 35:53 Speaker 7: That I don't have in front of me.
▶ 35:54 Speaker 3: Okay, all right, that's all, thank you.
▶ 35:56 Peter D. Mortimer: Thank you, President Cott.
▶ 35:59 Monica C. Medeiros: Medeiros please thank you and these are for fire vehicles as as opposed to
▶ 36:05 Speaker 5: ambulances correct the ambulance is this separate separate yes any repairs with
▶ 36:10 Peter D. Mortimer: the ambulance thank you thank you thank you alderman Medeiros any further alderman wishing to ask the chief any questions at this time seeing none we
▶ 36:22 Speaker 1: can have the next department head come up please thank you Chris Wilcox please
▶ 36:25 Speaker 7: He's the assessor, salary and wage is $11,313.39.
▶ 36:32 Peter D. Mortimer: Good evening, Mr. Wilcox.
▶ 36:34 Speaker 5: Thank you. This year the assessing department had a change over in personnel. A long time employee retired and we didn't have the budget for it. So this is a request for making that whole for this year.
▶ 36:49 Peter D. Mortimer: Thank you very much, Mr. Wilcox. Are there any aldermen wishing to ask any questions at this time? President Kahn, please.
▶ 36:56 Speaker 3: So this is to cover benefits that would do to somebody who retired after a long career in the city?
▶ 37:02 Speaker 5: That's correct.
▶ 37:04 Speaker 3: Thank you.
▶ 37:05 Peter D. Mortimer: Thank you, President Kahn. I'm seeing no further aldermen wishing to be heard. We can have our next department head come forward on the MedTax.
▶ 37:15 Speaker 7: Medicare.
▶ 37:16 Peter D. Mortimer: Medicare, expenditures.
▶ 37:18 Speaker 7: Mr. Flavin, treasurer collector, please.
▶ 37:20 Peter D. Mortimer: Mr. Flavin, this is Art Flavin.
▶ 37:23 Speaker 2: Hi, good evening. This is an annual dance that we do on Medicare tax. We try to conservatively budget Medicare tax. It's the 1.45% of salary that we have to pay to the federal government for Medicare. We usually set the bar low, and you've just heard a parade of overtime issues and detail issues. We're going to miss by about $10,000 this year. Next year's budget increased by twenty thousand dollars but i have no guarantee that we'll cover i won't be back again next year we like we said we don't want to leave money in this bucket when there's other opportunities so this is kind of an annual we're comfortable with it it won't be a big number if we
▶ 38:08 Peter D. Mortimer: have to come back thank you very much mr flavin alderman's werco please yeah thank you mr flavin
▶ 38:11 Michael P. Zwirko: so you seem to indicate that this is actually tied then to hours worked in wages so that's where the
▶ 38:17 Speaker 2: delta is every dollar we pay 1.4 or 5 percent to the federal government for medicare tax
▶ 38:22 Michael P. Zwirko: and so because of the overtime issues that's where this change is coming from details
▶ 38:30 Peter D. Mortimer: all those things at that okay thank you thank you alderman's worker i'm seeing no further alderman wishing to ask mr flavin any questions next we have the memorial hall building the electricity expenses and we have the director of memorial hall ms pickett broda with us this evening kathy
▶ 38:49 Peter D. Mortimer: Good evening, Mrs. Pigott-Pirota. Thank you for coming this evening.
▶ 38:55 Speaker 6: Hi. This is a direct result of the bookings at the hall have increased dramatically. And in particular, we had a record number in March of 56 events in one month, which is more than we've ever had in March. So I ran out of money for electricity and gas.
▶ 39:14 Peter D. Mortimer: and I imagine if I may presume that that same logic applies to the gas bill which is the next item correct all right thank you very much did I see your hand Alderman's work oh yeah it sounds
▶ 39:26 Michael P. Zwirko: like we're a victim of our own success in this case meaning the building gets used so much that the costs go up and so and generally the the Memorial Hall it does I mean it does act as a a draw that brings in many not only acts and types of events but it's also a benefit to the community from a cultural standpoint so just want to say thank you for your efforts and appreciate the clarification on the over over just my
▶ 39:57 Peter D. Mortimer: pleasure seeing no further alderman wishing to ask mrs. Pickett broader any questions will proceed to the auditor salary and wages thank you miss mrs.
▶ 40:11 Speaker 7: pick it broader thank you as mr. Wilcox spoke earlier this set pertains to the assistant city auditor who's retiring in June and this is what is owed her for
▶ 40:27 Peter D. Mortimer: her retirement separation thank you very much and I think that thank you exhaust the list well I think there were some questions mr. de la Rousseau before you
▶ 40:37 Monica C. Medeiros: step away Alderman Medeiros please thank you I thank you mr. chairman just for the people at home and this money is coming from the group health providers
▶ 40:51 Monica C. Medeiros: line item and I just wanted to point out that we had a memo since she wasn't here this evening from Mary Ann long the director of our human resources department and she has cited that the reason why these funds are available are because we've saved money by having an an opt-out enrollment where we're we've offered a benefit to our city employees that if they choose to not take our city insurance and instead find insurance elsewhere that they they can do so we provide them an incentive and as a result we've seen savings in that line item and this is absolutely correct mr. Deller so anything you'd like to add I
▶ 41:36 Speaker 7: want to commend her in her office because I obviously it's pay dividends
▶ 41:42 Speaker 1: and it's a gift that keeps on giving so I'm very pleased thank you thank you
▶ 41:47 Peter D. Mortimer: thank you Thank You Alderman Medeiros Alderman
▶ 41:51 Robert A. Boisselle: Boycelle please I have a question I mean we have 36 employees who opt out of the insurance plan and so forth are they getting in health insurance I mean it's required to have health insurance are they going out into the private networks to get insurance or are they going to the Commonwealth Network respect I have to defer that to the human resource director I'm not sure what the implications are okay I'm just not sure that we're sort of pushing these people out on a sort of a financial incentive and they're they're going to be required to have health insurance down the line or because they're the Affordable Care Act's in full effect this year and the penalties are quite high if they're not getting insurance hopefully they are getting that insurance somewhere out
▶ 42:44 Speaker 7: there if it pleases the board I will ask the human resource director to provide some information on that would you please thank you very much thank you as
▶ 42:50 Peter D. Mortimer: chair absolutely thank you alderman boycelle and alderman Medeiros please yes and i think that would
▶ 42:52 Monica C. Medeiros: be great if we could have for the next meeting if uh if uh ms long could confirm that but i do believe that they my my understanding is that anybody who takes this opt out has to show that they have credible uh coverage someplace else before they're given it but good i think it would
▶ 43:12 Peter D. Mortimer: be good to have that thank you alderman Medeiros alderman's work oh please if i could just make
▶ 43:15 Michael P. Zwirko: a request so um i i understand the city's in it's an open uh enrollment period right now and just be interesting to know if um this number is going to change at all next year if there's been any early inc indications that there'll be more than 36 employees or maybe that number will shrink that could have a budget impact either way so it'd be interesting to know if there's anything i also know that i the open enrollment period closes before fy 16 closes as well so that that may be a good forecast for fy 17 will do thank you thank you alderman's work oh motion
▶ 43:48 Robert A. Boisselle: to recommend order 0 1 5 4 second we have a motion to recommend this order for passage duly
▶ 43:56 Peter D. Mortimer: set by alderman boy cell duly second by alderman Forbes seeing no further discussion all in favor please say aye aye any opposed this order will be recommended for passage at our next full board Thank you very much. On May 2nd, Monday, May 2nd.