May 2010 Council Mtg.

Issue 1: The new insurance contracts. Each year we approve new insurance contracts. This year the employees requested an increase in our insurance coverage.

Analysis 1: Insurance rates continue to go up. Last year we shifted some of the costs to the employees so that there was an incentive to control costs. For that reason, I favor allowing the employees to have more of a choice in choosing their own benefits.

Conclusion 1: I supported the new insurance contracts with the expectation that we will have to find approximately $20,000 additional dollars this year for the benefits.

Issue 2: Water Accountability Ordinance. In September 2009, the City Council considered whether to remove fluoride from the water. It was a tied vote and the Mayor voted to leave fluoride in the water. This year Jamie Davis has made one of her goals removing fluoride from the water. She has proposed the Water Accountability Ordinance as a comprehensive approach towards water additives.

Analysis 2: The Water Accountability Ordinance proposes to (1) make companies guarantee the safety of their additives; (2) make the City verify the purity of the additives; and (3) prohibit additives that don't meet purity and health guarantees. While this is a great philosophy, I don't think that it's a good law. It needs changes. Companies will never accept guaranteeing the health of their product for all people without conditions. Secondly, I think that the law creates an overly difficult burden for placing additives in the water with the goal of making the hurdles too high to jump for any company. To me a better law would be banning water additives altogether instead of implementing standards that are so stringent that no one will be able to meet them.

Conclusion 2: I couldn't support the Water Accountability Ordinance in its current form. I wanted to see some things changed. However, I never had the chance to make those amendments prior to it being voted on. Therefore, I had to vote against the ordinance. As no other motion was made, the matter died.