New Chrisman Commissioner gets sworn in
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Chrisman City Attorney Robert Morris swears in new Water Commissioner Brice Stratton
The vacancy on the Chrisman City Council was filled at the meeting held on Tuesday, February 22nd. Commissioner Bryan Haddix moved and Commissioner Thad Crispin seconded the hire of Brice Stratton as the new Water Commissioner. Stratton was sworn in by Chrisman City Attorney Robert Morris.
Lucas Knight was in attendance to discuss the city’s health insurance policy, answering any questions that the employees had. The city is signed up with the HMO 500 Platinum Plan. “You voted years ago to give your employees the best plan that was offered and you do,” Knight said. “You have the best plan that is offered by Health Alliance.”
The plan is a 90/10 program, where the city pays ninety percent and the employees pay ten percent. The plan below what is currently offered only saves $133 per month. With the three employees, it would cost the city $50 per month.
“The plans compared aren’t even comparable. For the price you have now, I would stay with the platinum,” Lucas said. “I will always tell you if I don’t think you should stay with the platinum.”
The platinum plan has plenty of benefits for the employees. The platinum plan that the city currently has, isn’t an option anymore to anyone else signing up with Health Alliance. “The city of Chrisman is grandfathered in. If you get out of it, you won’t get back into it,” Knight told the commissioners.
Knight handed out pages to the council regarding the changing of plans and what it would cost to do so. The cost would be contingent on per person and per age that signed up. This was something that legally Knight had to inform the council of.
The plan from last year’s price increased to around 5.48%. “It’s health insurance, it’s tough. It’s like work comp. I have zero control over this,” Knight said. “If you want control over it, you have to get into politics.”
The platinum plan will cost the city $2,332.87 per month for it’s three employees that have signed up.
Knight stated that the Illinois Government has their own people that choose the plans. “You literally have the best plan in the State of Illinois and if you get out of it, you won’t get back in.”
Knight hopes that the insurance plan that they have will be a factor when hiring new employees.
“I hope that you guys use that to promote the town.” The council approved the insurance plan.
Commissioner Haddix began opening bids for the property at 221 South Illinois St.
The only bid opened was in the amount of $1,000. “This does not meet our minimum bid,” Haddix said.
In total, including legal fees, the city has around $27,000 sunk into the property.
With that low of a bid, Haddix made the suggestion to counter at $2,500. A motion was made to reject the bid that was received and to open a re-bid with a minimum of $2,500 to be opened at the second meeting in March.
Commissioner Thad Crispin said that he was approached this past weekend about the drainage problem that runs through town from the country.
“We’re going to run over some ideas,” Crispin said. Changing the shape and size of the culvert was an idea to help with the drainage problems. “Nothing is set in stone yet.”
With all the snow that Chrisman received during the snowstorm and the weather getting warmer, the amount of melted snow has clogged up the drainage system, causing many people’s yards to flood.
“It’s something we’re going to start looking into before summer,” Crispin said. “We’re going to start looking at stuff and see what we can do, if there’s anything we can do.”
