RECOM (Retired Employees City of Mesa) - Minutes of October 18, 2006, Meeting

Board Members Present: Lin Adams, John Gendron, Barb Seperich, Chuck Wennerlund.

Board Members Absent: Kathy Barrett, Fred Conway, Frank Mizner, Walter Switzer.

Members Present: Laura Alexander, John Ashley, Don & Venita Ayers, Pauline Backer, Glen Baker, Bob & Doris Benton, Dolores Bergland, Fred Bollinger, Donna Brinton, Diane Brown, Sandra Brown, Richard & Rita Buck, Bob Butcher, Dean & Eleanor Childs, Grace Cokeley, Bob Collins, Tanya Collins, Cecil Crusinberry, Jo Ann Ramirez-Davis & Kermit Davis, Pat Dillard, Pat Drake, Bill Everson, Jo & John Ferguson, Kaye Fraser, Howard Godfrey, Joan Gregory, Peggy Haney, Irene & Sheridan Hatch, Karen Heffel, Patrick Hinshaw, Nancy Kochanski, Beatrice & Charles Mannino, Edith "Lucy" Marquez, Nancy Mumpton, Les Olsen, Marilyn Pittman, Genie Pritchard, John Schleff, Ed & Jule Schramm, Nancy Skalitsky, John Smoyer, Denny & Fran Spidel, Joan Stafford, Rebecca Standage, Darlene Stanfel, Bob & Jane Taylor, Al & Barbara Tessendorf, Rudy Torres, Nancye Van Kirk, Ann Walston, Marilyn Warden, Bev Watt, Kathy & Ralph Werner.

Guests: Don Madden, Jody Topping.

Introductions: The meeting was called to order by Barb Seperich at 9:00 AM. First-time attendees Diane Brown (wife of Utilities retiree Harry Brown), Nancy Kochanski (Engineering), Lucy Marquez (Code Compliance), and Sandra Brown (wife of Fire Dept. retiree Pat Brown) were introduced.

Secretary's Report: Lin reported RECOM has 550 paid members; previous members who did not pay dues were removed from the roster. Cynthia Winn, RECOM member and wife of Fire Dept. retiree Bob Winn, passed away on August 18, 2006. RECOM sent a condolence card to the family.

Benefits Task Force: Barb reported a correction from a previous meeting. The Oct. 25 Health Fair, sponsored by Employee Benefits, will be for current employees only, not for retirees. Other information was deferred to Jody's presentation.

By-laws Committee: John reported the committee has developed a working draft, including clarification about the purpose of RECOM. The committee hopes to have a final draft for the Board soon.

Treasurer's Report: Chuck reported the RECOM account balance is $7,540.59.

Speaker: Jody Topping, City of Mesa Employee Benefits Administrator, reported the following:

• Health benefits workbooks have been mailed; if members have difficulty re-enrolling on the www.mesachip.org website, they may go to the Employee Benefits office and get assistance from staff there.
• One change made after the books were printed - effective 1/1/07, the lifetime maximum benefit will increase from $1 million to $2 million.
• No plan changes; Medco, Avesis, and medical/dental plans will offer the same options; if members have problems with any of the plans, please let Jody know in writing (email OK) the specific problems.
• Increases to Premiums - No increase for Basic Choice; a modest increase was made to the Choice Plan; Co-Pay increased a little more; Choice Plus Plan expenditures have been skyrocketing, and the premiums increased significantly; Jody said the City is not trying to phase out the Choice Plus Plan, but needed to balance the premiums with the expenses of the Plan.
• If on Medicare, the best choice is the Choice Plan (80/20); the City's prescription program is better than the Medicare Part D program.
• Flu Shots - They will be provided for current employees only; if you want to get a flu shot at one of the various locations provided by the Mollen Clinic, Blue Cross/Blue Shield will cover it free; otherwise, indicate to your doctor that you want the cost to be applied to your "Wellness Benefit."
• Wellness Benefit - the maximum is $400/year; includes mammograms, physicals, flu shots, etc., and is not subject to your deductible; you need to tell your doctor to code it specifically for wellness.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 AM.

Next Meeting: November 15, 2006 - 9:00 AM, Community Room, Mesa Fire Station 201, NW corner of 1st St. and Mesa Drive. The speaker will be Jody Topping, City of Mesa Employee Benefits Administrator.

Future Meetings: November 15 - Long-Term Care; December 20 - Open House Social.