SC EXPLORES EXPANDED INSURANCE

SCOTT CITY -- The Scott City Council will look at a way to ensure that its employees stay with the city.

Council member Gary Miller asked the council Monday night at its regular meeting to consider paying 75 percent of each employee's family insurance premiums. The city already pays for its employee insurance, and Miller wants to expand that to partially include wives and children.

It costs the city $149.39 a month for each employee's insurance through Blue Cross\Blue Shield.

The employees have the option of paying another $149.39 a month to insure wives. Miller said another insurance package provides insurance just for children but he was not sure of the cost.

To insure both wives and children, employees pay about $230 a month. That amount covers all children to age 18, regardless of how many there are.

Miller said the benefit would be classified as a pay raise and could be accomplished by changing city ordinance. If approved, the money would be paid directly to the insurance company and not to the employee.

This would provide the city with a number of checks and balances. It would also allow the city to reduce the benefit without taking money from employees when their children turn 18 and are dropped from the policy.

Mayor Jerry Cummins said he was in favor of the plan but asked Miller to ascertain the cost and suggest where the money could be drawn from the budget to cover the added expense.

City department heads were instructed to determine which employees would participate, and Miller will try to have complete dollar amounts by the next regular meeting.

In other city business:

-- Miller asked the council to send a letter to state Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, in support of his Senate bill prohibiting cities from becoming involved in the business of telecommunications.

Miller, who works for Southwestern Bell, abstained from voting and said he would not sign the letter because it would be a conflict of interest. The rest of the council approved the letter, which will be faxed to Kinder today.

-- Two Scott City firefighters were commended for their efforts Thursday to try to save a Scott City man who died in a mobile home fire. Capt. Terry Gettings and firefighter John Niederkorn were both praised for entering the burning structure to find and remove 31-year-old Tony Beckett.

Beckett was declared dead a short while later at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

-- Former City Council member Brenda Moyers asked the council to sign a proclamation at its next meeting recognizing May 11 through 17 as Random Acts of Kindness Week. Moyers said many city businesses would take part in the week.