Sycamore Library staff to join city’s health insurance provider

SYCAMORE – As a result of a recent Sycamore City Council vote, full-time staff at the Sycamore Public Library will soon have a new health care insurance provider.

Sycamore City Council unanimously approved a plan to consolidate Sycamore Public Library full-time staff into the city’s employee health insurance plan on April 1.

Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall said the idea came from talks between city and library officials.

“They knew that we’re getting a new financial software, I don’t think they’ve started using that yet, or starting to do that, so we’ve offered to them to help in anyway we can, to help cut their costs, their health insurance costs are going way up,” Hall said. “This is an opportunity for them to come onto the city’s health insurance.”

Sycamore Public Library has seven full-time employees that will have their health insurance coverage folded into the city’s plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hall said.

Those employees will be able to make the change starting May 1, Hall said, who added nothing was coming out of the city’s budget to make the arrangement.

“I think it’s a great idea, everybody working together,” said 2nd Ward Alderman Chuck Stowe. Third Ward Alderwoman Nancy Copple agreed with Stowe.

Sycamore City Council approves Sycamore Public Library’s yearly property tax levies, and 1st Ward Alderman Alan Bauer – who voted in favor of the change after initial hesitation – said he believes consolidating the health care insurance providers could become a reason the library wouldn’t expand into it’s own, independent taxing body in the future.

“So pooling them together would probably be a deterrent to them ever becoming their own taxing body,” Bauer said.