Minutes 09-14-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 • Develop criteria for a freestanding southwest Orange library for the Board to discuss 2 • Set a meeting to discuss this criteria and to look at parcels/properties 3 • Options — continue to look at rural accessibility— increasing public transportation, 4 mobile operations, etc. 5 6 Frank Clifton asked the Board for a square footage for the southwest library. 7 Commissioner Yuhasz asked the Library Services Director and Lucinda Munger said 8 that it depends on the area that is being served. 9 The Board agreed to look at the larger size for the southwest branch. 10 11 3. Employee Benefits Preliminary Recommendations and Update 12 Human Resources Director Michael McGinnis said that the employees are thankful for 13 the Board of County Commissioners maintaining the benefits package. He summarized the 14 following items: 15 16 Health Care Reform Legislation of 2010 17 National Health Care Reform was enacted in March 2010, with different elements becoming 18 effective immediately and others in the next few years. Attachment 1 outlines the impact of 19 Health Care Reform on the Orange County health care plans. Because the County's health 20 insurance already provides many of the benefits which are mandated for employers, very few 21 changes will be required immediately. Of benefit to Orange County, Health Care Reform will 22 provide a benefit to Orange County by providing a reimbursement for 80% of certain medical 23 costs through the Early Retiree Reimbursement Program. Reimbursement is available for 24 claims beginning June 1, 2010 for pre-65 retirees covered by the County Health Plan, and 25 must be used to offset actual increases in the cost of health insurance. Based on the County's 26 past claims, it is estimated that the County may be eligible to receive approximately $150,000 27 over the next 18 months. Staff is preparing the application for this program. 28 29 Broker Services 30 To assist the County in plan design and cost containment measures related to benefits for 31 2011 the County decided to utilize the services of a benefits consultant. Mark III was selected 32 after evaluating three brokers because of several factors including their extensive experience 33 with local governments. They have agreed to provide these services at no consultant fees for 34 2011. Any compensation for providing these services for the first year will be derived from the 35 potential enrollment of voluntary benefits as outlined in Attachment 6 below. Future fees, 36 based on number of employees, will not exceed $2.00 per employee per month (approximately 37 $20,000). The savings to our health care plan costs are expected to exceed that of their 38 services, and will be particularly valuable as the County considers and possible implementation 39 of a self-funded health insurance plan. They will assist with supplemental benefits to County 40 employees, assist with the integration of claims information with plan design and wellness 41 activities, and provide Open Enrollment services. 42 43 2011 Benefit Plans 44 Moving forward with plan implementation for 2011, the following benefits are being considered: 45 46 1. Health Insurance 47 The County provides two fully-insured health insurance plans for employees, and pays the 48 employee portion of coverage, as well as a subsidy for dependent coverage. An overview of 49 the current plans, plan participation, and initial recommendations are described in Attachment