HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptemberCity Matters
SEPTEMBER, 1995
From the Desk of Wendy Widmann
Worker's Compensation - something we hear
about, but never understand until it hits home. As an
employee, you should be aware of your rights and
responsibilities under the law.
As an employer, the City is responsible for
providing employees with a safe work environment.
The City has developed a safety program; provides
employees with safety equipment and inspects and
monitors equipment to make sure it works and is used
properly. The City is also a drug-free workplace and
has drug testing done on all new hires.
It is also the City's responsibility to see that if
an employee is injured on the job that the
SUPERVISOR fills out a First Report of Injury or
Illness form (LES form DWC-1). The form must be
submitted to our insurance carrier, Insurance Services
Adjustors Carriers (ISAC) within seven (7) days of
knowledge of the accident or injury if the employee
looses time from work or requires medical attention.
If an employee needs medical attention, the
City has authorized doctors who will see employees
and submit their bills directly to ISAC for payment.
If an employee looses time from work due to
an on-the-job injury, after seven (7) days worker's
compensation will pay the employee 66 2/3 of their
prior 13 weeks average wage earnings. If the
employee was not wearing safety equipment, that
amount is reduced 25%. If the employee is injured
while on drugs, all worker's compensation benefits
may be denied.
Important Dates
■ Monday, September 4, Holiday
■ Tuesday, September 12, Health Fair
■ Thursday, September 28, Brown Bag
Luncheon
The Details
On Monday, September 4th, many of us will be
enjoying a long week end, barbecuing on the grill,
swimming in the ocean, and saying good bye to
summer. The kids are back in school and most
employees have taken their vacations for the calendar
year.
On Tuesday, September l2th, the City will again hold
a Wellness Fair for employees and their covered
dependents. Blood samples will be taken in the
morning - 7 a.m at the Public Works Compound; 8
a.m. (or earlier) at the Council Chambers. The
Wellness Fair will be "open" from noon until 4:30
p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Our thanks to
Sebastian River Medical Center for providing us with
this valuable service. See you there!
Thursday, September 28th, at noon in the City
Council Chambers, will be the last of our brown bag
luncheons for 1995. The topic is on credit counseling
by Bob Murphy of Consumer Credit Counseling of
Brevard County. He will discuss budgets, effective
personal budgeting practices, repaying credit cards,
credit reports and the Fair Debt Collection Act. With
Christmas looming ahead, which tends to be a major
budget disaster for many folks, this may be a very
timely subject. Sodas will be provided.
City of Sebastian Employee Newsletter
EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER
Congratulations to Rita Grainger from the Finance
Department who is the recipient of the Employee of
the (second) Quarter. Rita is currently an Account
Clerk III who, on her own time and at her own
expense, took courses and successfully completed
course work in order to receive a certificate in
Government Accounting, Auditing and Financial
Reporting. She has also worked diligently on
ensuring that the Utility financial records are accurate
and reconciled the City's consolidated checking
account. Job well done, Rita!
Inside the City Limits
Birthdays
9/04
Richard Votapka, Public Works
9/12
Clifford Jamison, Public Works
9/19
Carl Anderson, Golf Course
9/20
Gary Johnson, Public Works
9/21
Ruth Mills, Golf Course
9/21
Daryl Thompson, Finance Dept.
9/25
Shawn Daley, Police Dept.
9/29
John Pratt, Public Works
9/30
Robert Thompson, Public Works
Longevity
Employees with 10 or more years of Service:
9/05/95 Gregory Witt, Police Dept.
9/24/81 William Ruetmann, Public Works
OOPS! Sony we missed listing Michael Whitney
from Public Works last month, who has been with the
City since 8/02/85.
Employees with 5 or more years of Service:
9/08/89 Joseph Pace, Police Dept.
9/11/89 Gerry Kubes, Community Dev.
9/21/89 Anthony Francisco, Police Dept.
New Employees joining the City Family are:
Deborah Ann Conway, Temp. Crossing Guard
Michael B. Johnson, Temp. Crossing Guard
Eugene Ryun, Temp. Crossing Guard
City Employee News
Our condolences to former Finance
Department employee Ann Detmer and her family
upon the recent loss of her husband, Jack Detmer,
who had worked at the Golf Course.
Congratulations to Vaunette Davis, who won
the door prize at the brown bag luncheon on Pepper
Spray training. Ten employees attended and learned
a lot from Police Department speaker Joe Pace.
Many employees, board members, volunteers,
council members and their families enjoyed an
afternoon of good food, fun and games at the City
Picnic, held on Saturday, August 12, 1995 at Long
Point Park. A moon walk, egg toss and other fun
activities entertained the children, along with canoe
rides, horse shoes, music, and volley ball for
everyone. There was an abundance of grilled food
and salads to eat and plenty to drink.
Special thanks go to Carolyn and Bruce
Cooper; Brenda and Dan Eckis; and John and Jan
King, for all their efforts in making this event a
success. Also, thanks go to employees David
Nisbet, Steve DiTrapano, Clifford Jamison,
Leeford Richards and Tim Smith for helping set up
tables and chairs and getting the food, drinks and ice
to the Park.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO FIGHT AGAINST
"Go down to the fish market and look into the
crab barrel.
They never have to put a lid on it because if
one crab starts to crawl out, the others will grab onto
him and pull him back down.
That's what negative peer pressure does. And
that's what you must fight against."
-Ben Carson, MD John Hopkins University
HOW MANY DOES IT TAKE?
Q: How many managers does it take to change a
light bulb?
A We've formed a task force to study the problem of
why light bulbs burn out, and to figure out what,
exactly, we as supervisors can do to make the bulbs
work smarter, not harder.
-from Hope Health Newsletter
City of Sebastian Employee Newsletter
BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD NEWS
The rates for our health insurance will increase for Fiscal Year 1995/96 because of
extremely high claims being paid out in Fiscal Year 1994/95. Even with the big
discounts Blue Cross is able to obtain, the City and City employees with dependent
health insurance will have to assume an increase in the monthly premiums.
For the period of 10/01/94 to 6/30/95, Blue Cross paid, or will pay out, $249,700 in
incurred and anticipated claims. The City paid $226,868 in premiums during this same
time period. In other words, Blue Cross lost money during the first nine months of
handling our health insurance. Because of this, they are increasing both the cost to the
City for employee coverage and to the employees who have dependent coverage.
The costs for dependent coverage are as follows. Effective October 1, 1995, which
will be reflected in the October 20th pay check, the following rates will apply:
BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD - HEALTH INSURANCE
24 PAY PERIODS
WAS: WILL BE:
Employee $104.00 $121.10
Spouse
$130.00
$151.30
Children
$ 84.00
$ 97.75
Family
$165.00
$192.05
VISION SERVICE PLAN
24 PAY PERIODS
WAS: WILL BE:
Employee $ 2.25 $ 2.25
Family s6.05 $ 6.05
*City paid benefits; no cost to employees.
INCREASE
$17.10*
$21.30
$13.75
$27.05
INCREASE
S n/a*
S n/a
SUPPLEMENTAL LIFE INSURANCE
EMPLOYEE COST/ PER PAY PERIOD
Cost per
Month Per
[AGE] $1,000
-o29-1
Payments per Pay for 24 Pay Periods er Year
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$100,000
24 Pam_
_ 24 Pays
24 Pays
24 Pas
24 Pay
24 Pays
1
0.70
1.40
2.10
2.80
3.50
7.00
30-39 1 1 0.191
0.95
1.90
2.85
3.60
4.75
9.50
40-44 0.34 F
1.70
3.40
5.10
6.80
8.50
17.00
45-49 0.53
2.65
5.30
7.95
10.60
13.25
26.50
50-54 0.81
4.05
8.10
12.15
16.20
20.25
40.50
Fi5-59Fj 1.30
6.50
13.00
19.50
26.00
32.50
65.00
60-64 ---]-.92 -
9.60
1"9.20
2880
38.40
- 48.00
96.00
60-69 3.15
15.75
31.50
47.25
63.00
78.75
157.50
70 + 251-21.25
42.50
63.75
85.00
106.25
212.50
ACCIDENTAL DEATH & DISMEMBERMENT (AD&D)
Cost per $10,000 �- 0.30 0.601 0.90 1 1.201 1.501 3.00
0.931 1.851 3.701 5.55 7.40
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CITY OF SEBASTIAN
HOLIDAYS - 1996
HOLIDAY
NEW YEAR'S DAY
PRESIDENT'S DAY
MEMORIAL DAY
INDEPENDENCE DAY
LABOR DAY
VETERANS DAY
ACTUAL
01/01/96 MONDAY
02/19/96 MONDAY
05/30/96 THURSDAY
07/04/96 THURSDAY
09/02/96 MONDAY
11/11/96 MONDAY
11/28/96 THURSDAY
DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING 11/29/96 FRIDAY
DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS DAY
12/24/96 TUESDAY
01/01/96 MONDAY
02/19/96 MONDAY
05/27/96 MONDAY
07/04/96 THURSDAY
09/02/96 MONDAY
11/11/96 MONDAY
11/28/96 THURSDAY
11/29/96 FRIDAY
12/24/96 TUESDAY
12/25/96 WEDNESDAY 12/25/96 WEDNESDAY
NOTE: SOME POLICE DEPT. AND GOLF COURSE EMPLOYEES' HOLIDAY DATES
ARE THE ACTUAL HOLIDAY (NOT THE OBSERVED).
CAWPWiNOMPDOMHOUDAY.WPD
1. Shop for food no more than once a week.
To avoid impulse buying, shop alone and when you
are not hungry. Comparison shop for non-food items
at discount drug stores, which often charge less than
supermarkets.
2. Set a limit for weekly food purchases.
Shop with a list of items and prices totaled to no
more than your maximum amount. Budget a small
amount for impulse purchases.
3. Bake in batches. Prepare large quantities
of sauces and main dishes (casseroles, stews, chili)
and freeze the leftovers. Grilling outdoors costs less
than using an oven. When you do use the oven, try to
bake more than one item at a time.
4. Nix the snacks. Avoid buying expensive
snack foods and prepare your own instead. Ditto for
convenience foods such as single -serving frozen
entrees.
5. Study unit prices. If you're buying cereal,
for example, don't assume the large "economy size" is
the best buy - especially if you're using a coupon. A
75 -cent coupon, doubled, could make the smallest
size the least expensive.
HEALTH INSURANCE
A reminder to employees that you MUST sign up for
health insurance and any elective coverages PRIOR
TO October 1, 1995. This includes dependent health
insurance, dependent life insurance, employee
supplemental life insurance, and dependent vision
plan.
Representatives from Blue Cross/Blue Shield will be
on hand on Tuesday, September 12, 1995 during the
Wellness Fair to answer any questions you may have
and help you fill out the forms. The City is going to
change the current payroll system of deducting
dependent or supplemental insurance from 26 pay
periods to 24 pay periods, effective October 1st. The
new rates will be listed elsewhere in this newsletter.
t �•
Just a Reminder.
Remember to update your Personnel file when
family events change in your life. Divorce, marriage,
birth of a new child, etc., may mean a change of
beneficiary in your life insurance policy; change in
your income tax withholding status; change in your
health insurance dependent coverage; change in your
supplemental life insurance coverage; or for police, a
change in the State mandated accidental death
coverage; or beneficiary listed in your deferred
compensation or pension plan. Also, the City is
MANDATED by law to inform a dependent, when
they are being taken off the City s health insurance
coverage, of their right to continue the coverage (at
their own expense) under COBRA Please remember
to notify the Human Resources Department when
these situations occur, so that we may advise you of
any other forms, etc. you may want to change and
comply with the law.
HOLIDAYS REMAIMNG IN 1995
Friday, November 10th - Veteran's Day
Thursday and Friday, November 23rd and 24th -
Thanksgiving holidays
Monday and Tuesday, December 25th and 26th - the
Christmas holidays
Famous last words...
■ "When you have nothing to say, say nothing."
■ "When in doubt, do nothing."
■ "Nothing is so bad that it might have been
worse."
A Final Thought........
"We were put on earth to accomplish a certain
number of things. Right now, Pm so far behind, I will
never die."
City of Sebastian Employee Newsletter