The Ottawa City Council has reestablished an insurance committee that had been inactive for nearly a decade, bringing together union representatives, city employees and retirees to advise on the city’s health insurance programs and rising costs.
The committee was formalized through a resolution brought forward by Ottawa Mayor Robert Hasty during a special council meeting.
“The city of Ottawa needs an advisory and oversight body to review, evaluate and make recommendations regarding the City’s insurance programs,” the resolution stated.
The committee is tasked with ensuring that benefits are administered effectively, equitably and in a fiscally responsible manner, and assisting in making insurance policy recommendations.
“This committee does not have voting authority,” Hasty said. “Rather, it serves in an advisory capacity to the Council, helping review plan options, provide feedback and offer insight as we evaluate coverage and associated costs.”
The committee is composed of 15 members: three fire union representatives, three police union representatives, three American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union representatives, three appointed employee representatives and three representatives who are retired from the city and receiving retiree insurance benefits.
“The union contracts have included language for some time regarding the appointment of union members to this type of committee,” Hasty said. “We chose to formalize it as an official committee to allow for broader participation, including appointed personnel and retiree representation, so that a more complete perspective could be considered when discussing benefits and long-term impacts.”
The first members of the Ottawa Insurance Committee have been named.
Fire union representatives: Devin Fleming, Mike Williams and Ryan Tieman.
Police union representatives: Robert Nilles, Eric Ganiere and Randy Nelson.
AFSCME union representatives: Bob Anderson, Casey Ocepek and Jackie Hughes.
Appointed employee representatives: Alaina Iverson and Daniel Pond.
Retiree representatives: Jeff Bangert, Jeff Newbury and Kim Czyz.
Committee members will be appointed for three-year terms by the mayor with the approval of the city council. Union representatives will be selected and approved by their respective union bodies prior to appointment by the mayor.
There are no residency requirements for committee members. Members will serve without compensation.
The mayor may remove committee members for cause only with the concurrence of the city council, except for union representatives. If a union no longer desires their representative to continue serving, the union may remove that representative and suggest a replacement for the mayor to appoint.
“With the continued rise in health insurance costs, the Council and I, in agreement with union leadership, felt it was both appropriate and prudent to reestablish the committee,” Hasty said.