Council approves employee insurance order; member urges competitive bids

The Meridian City Council voted to authorize employee health insurance plans and COBRA options for current and former city employees; the vote was recorded as 4-1. The order covered employee insurance benefits as presented on the agenda. During discussion a councilmember asked that, in future procurements, the administration solicit competitive bids for insurance rather than relying on a single broker or carrier. The councilmember said the city has not had a competitive bid process in recent procurements and urged options be presented. A staff member and other councilmembers discussed past experience switching carriers and noted that brokers are involved; no formal procurement schedule or timeline was offered during the meeting. The transcript does not include the name of the insurer selected, the broker, the exact changes to coverage, premium amounts, or which councilmember cast the lone negative vote; those details were not specified on the record.