A new employee health insurance plan and steps to move forward on addressing dangerous downtown buildings were decided during a special meeting of the Houston City Council on Monday.
HEALTH INSURANCE
The council agreed to move forward with an employee health insurance plan that is nearly identical to the current plan – which covers premiums for employees and their families – except for a $1,500 individual and $3,000 family deductible compared to the previous $1,000/$2,000 offering.
Office visits, inpatient hospital stays, emergency room visits and prescriptions are all offered at the same rates. Out-of-pocket expenses are capped at $3,000 for individuals and $6,000 for families. The previous plan was $2,500/$5,000.
The new plan is a 19.1% increase from what the city currently pays – less than the 23.6% increase that would have taken effect if it stayed on the current plan. A 10% increase was budgeted.
DANGEROUS BUILDINGS
Members of the council agreed to send a formal letter from the board to the owner of two Grand Avenue buildings that are believed to be dangerous. The owner – Floyd Mayberry of The Living Way Ministry of Bible Health Inc., according to county records – did not respond to a letter from the administrator. The structures are south of a health food store on the west side of Grand Avenue.
At a meeting last week, Robbie Smith, fire chief, stated that there is structural collapse within the building. There is broken glass and windows, open doors, no roof and other issues with the building.
The council also agreed to publish a notice in the newspaper and put barriers around certain areas of the building. The cost for a structural engineer to assess the building is around $2,000 to $5,000. Members believe that a structural engineer isn’t necessary but might prove useful if the city were to be sued. Three bids for an engineer will be presented at a meeting on Monday, May 5.
OTHER MATTERS
- The council agreed to a five-year lease on a Ricoh copier similar to the one city hall currently utilizes. The current lease ended this week.
- Bill 107 was passed, amending Bill 106 pertaining to the city transitioning its municipal court services to the county to fix typos. A first and second reading was held.
- A job posting for an economic development director/assistant city administrator was approved. Three applications have been received so far.
The meeting lasted 34 minutes. The next regular meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 5 at city hall.
