2011-07-21Special Meeting
Page 1 of 3
Beverly Meeting Minutes
From: Kathy Connolly [kconnolly @beverlyma.gov]
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 5 :00 PM
To: minutes @beverlyma.gov
Subject: 7 -21 -11 sp.doc
Special Meeting
Beverly City Council 7:00 PM July 21, 2011
Rolf Call: Councilors Present: Judith A. Cronin, Patricia A. Grimes, James F. Latter, D. Wesley Slate, Jr., Maureen
Troubetaris, Michael P. Cahill, Paul M. Guanci, Kevin Hobin, — Councilor Donald Martin was absent
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: yea b councilor Grimes
Public Hearings and Public Speakers:
#142
Call for Special Meeting of July 21, 2011
Communications from His Honor the Mayor:
Refer to Finance & Property
#143
July 18, 2011
Honorable City Council
City Hall
Beverly, MA 01915
By this letter, I respectfully request that your Honorable Council hold a Special Meeting on
Monday, August 1 st to vote on acceptance of the recently passed Health Insurance Reform Act.
Attached to this letter is a summary of key features of the law provided to us by the
Massachusetts Municipal Association. While it is not possible at this time to determine the exact
implementation date nor to estimate the specific cost savings to the City, it is clear that this sum
will be significant and that a sizeable portion of these funds will benefit the schools directly. As
you were earlier advised, much of the funds which will flow to the city side will be used to
improve city streets and sidewalks. Assuming Your Honorable Council accepts this local option
law, my office can begin the negotiation process with the Insurance Advisory Commission.
From those discussions will emerge the effective date and estimated savings. You will be kept
fully informed as this process progresses.
9/2/2011
Special Meeting Page 2 of 3
The objective of this law is to bring municipal health care costs into line with those of State employees.
While the law allows cities and towns to join the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), Beverly is
choosing the more moderate approach of employing co -pays and deductibles which are identical to those
in the most heavily subscribed GIC plan. This approach will allow all our subscribers access to exactly
the same doctors and hospitals which are available to them today. The same contribution percentages
which exist today will be maintained (generally an 80/20 split) and all subscribers will see a decrease in
their premiums. A portion of the savings will be set aside in accordance with the law to defray cost
increases borne by heavy users.
Sincerely,
William F. Scanlon, Jr., Mayor
Referred to Committees on Legal Affairs and Finance & Property
Communications from other City Offices:
#144
July 19, 2011
Honorable City Council
City Hall
Beverly, MA. 01915
Dear Honorable Council:
It has come to my attention that according to the Charter of the City of Beverly, the Preliminary Election is to be held
on the sixth Tuesday preceding the General election.
This year the Preliminary Election has been set for the seventh Tuesday as per State statute.
Before setting this years Preliminary Election I researched and found that this has been the method used to set the
City Preliminary Elections for the last ten years.
I did not become aware of the conflict until a question was presented to me as to how our City Election dates are
set. It was then I discovered that the Preliminary Election was set a week earlier than it should have been.
I contacted the Secretary of State's Office (Legal Council) and also our Solicitors Office for their advice on how to
correct the issue. Legal Council for the Sec of State's Office has recommended that because we are within sixty
days of the Election the Council could take a vote to allow the Preliminary Election to be held on September 20,
2011 under the provisions of G.L. Chapter 54 -103P.
The alternative would be to hold the Election on September 27, 2011 which would mean the changing of all the
dates on the Election calendar and would cause a great hardship upon the City Clerk's office, the School Dept
which has agreed to set their school calendar to close the Elementary schools on Election day for the safety of the
children, the Poll workers who have planned vacations around the Election as well as all of the candidates who
have taken out papers to run for office.
Many thanks for your help concerning this matter.
9/2/2011
Special Meeting
Sincerely,
Kathleen P. Connolly, CIVIC
City Clerk
Refer to Legal Affairs
Communications, Applications and Petitions:
Reports from Committees:
#144
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The Committee on Legal Affairs to whom was referred the matter of communication from City Clerk relative to the setting of the Preliminary
Election for September 20, 2011 have considered said matter and beg leave to report as follows, to wit:
Submit the accompanying order and recommend its adoption
Ordered: That under the provisions of G.L. Chapter 54 -103P, as amended, the date of the 2011 Preliminary Election, if such Preliminary
Election is required, is hereby fixed as Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Order read once and adopted 7 -1 Vote (Cahill against)
Unfinished Business:
Motions and Orders:
Motion for reconsideration of Order # 144 Councilor Slate 2" Councilor Hobin
All in favor (0) All opposed (8) Motion fails 8.0
Meeting adjourned: 7:40PM Attest: Kathleen P. Connolly, CMC
City Clerk
9/2/2011