OFASTAN  TOWN OF ASTATULA MAYOR AND COUNCIL SUMMARY MINUTES  COUNCIL WORKSHOP TUESDAY JUNE 13, 2023  TOWN HALL  SINCE  1872  Having been duly advertised as required by law, Mayor Mitchell Mack called the workshop to  order at! 5:32 pm. Hel led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Members Present: Mitchell Mack, Mayor Stephen Cross, Vice-Mayor Gayle Sikkema Absent: Orita Issartel Zane Teeters  Also Present: Graham Wells, Town Clerk Wally Hoagland, Police Chief  Roll Call was performed.. A quorum was present although not required.  AGENDA REVIEW  There were: no changes to the agenda.  NEWI BUSINESS  DISCUSSION ON THE PROPOSED INCREASE FROM GFL ENVIRONMENTAL FOR GARBAGE The contract with GFL: allows them to request an annual rate increase based on 70% ofthe CPI-U for the preceding 12-month period. The new rate to the town for each residence will increase from $18.81 per month by 67cents to $19.48 per month. The Town Council has the discretion to approve, Ift the rate for solid waste disposal is approved for GFL Environmental, the same percentage rate increase has historically been passed tot the residents which is collected on the Tax Roll. The current equivalent monthly rate charged to the residents is $20.16 and would increase by $0.72c to $20.88 The tax collector takes 2% of what is collected ($5.01) per year for each household assuming that they pay their taxes plus an additional cost ofapproximately $5.00 per household (minimum) for the preparation of the TRIM file. There is also a cost incurred in town hall in dealing with the issues arising from the collection ofs solid waste. A final decision on whether to pass on the increase will be made at the public hearing in September. Should the town absorb and not pass on the increase it Vice-Mayor Cross requested thati int the future, a copy oft the contract be sent out as parto of the packet. Discussion ensued on thel level of service that GFL were providing and how it compared with other  COLLECTION FOR FY2023-2024.  or nott to: approve, the CPI adjustment.  per month or by $8.64 to $250.50 annually.  would amount to: approximately: $6,432.00.  towns, the county, and other carriers.  Town of Astatula Workshop Minutes June 13, 2023 Page1of3    Also, the costt to residentsi in Astatula is muchl lower than othermunicipalities and significantlylower than Howey in the Hills for virtually the same service. The initial contract with GFL, formally WCA, was from 2014 fors seven years.I In 2021 it was extended for a further three-year period. There is an Vice-Mayor Cross said that we should puti it out forl bid next year. The Clerk cautioned against that, if a deal was able to be struck to extend the service. Once put out to bid, there is no going back. The other carriers, such as Waste Management, WastePro and Waste Connections are typically more expensive and GFL, who would know their competitors rate structures, will underbid them, and This is what happened in Howey, instead ofa five percent increase, they ended up with over twenty percent. There is also no guarantee that the service will be better through another carrier as the county found out when GFL pulled out and was replaced by FCC Environmental. When you are looking at an increase as low as $8.64 per year, there is no sense in going elsewhere, as residents The Clerke emphasized that this decisioni is only toa accept thei increase (.67cp permonth perhousehold) from GFL to thet town and have itj put onto the TRIM notice. The decision whether to pass it on to the residents would bet taken at: aj publicl hearingi in September. Ift the increase is not passed on, then the town would absorb the cost andi it would come out oft the ad valorem taxes from the general fund. Following further discussion ont the pros and cons ofaccepting thei increase, thisi item would be voted DISCUSSION ON' THE RENEWALOPTIONSFOR HEALTH INSURANCEI FOR 2023-2024. A decision was made last year to change the plan for health insurance to Plan 14002 for most employees and to give the financial benefit oft this plan to employees who opted to go on HSA Plan 14771 so that theirs spouses or children could bei included. To remain on these plans the increase for the new year starting in July is set to be $291.87 per month (3.7%6) or $3,502.44 for the next twelve Itwas also decided thata alternative quotes would bes wgatfomamoeramterand from thel Florida League of Cities. A quote from Cigna was not available as they do not write small group policies. Brown: and Brown] providedaquotel from United Healthcare, howevert the premiums forsimilarplans were higher than Florida Blue. The closest to the current plan would cost an additional $2,392 per Lindsey Larson: from thel Floridal League of Cities email said she was trying to work with underwriting because rates came back extremely high compared to what we are currently getting from Florida Blue. Also, they have a tiered rating, soi it doesn't go based on age what premium you pay, it is just one set premium (or rate) for each tier. She did not send any actual figures, only the comparative Furthermore, she had asked for the renewal quotes from Blue Cross which I would not send to her. They must provide their quote based on the information that the other carriers had. We were also  option to extendi ita annually forf further one-year terms.  retain the contract byl being thel low bidder.  would likely see ani increasei ini the $30.00 to $50.00 per year range.  on at the regular council meeting following the workshop.  months.  month.  plans.  asked to] provide any knowledge of preexisting conditions.  Town ofA Astatula Workshop Minutes June: 13, 2023 Page 2of3    Blue Cross base their premiums solely on age. There was discussion on the merits or otherwise oft the different networks and the availability of doctors and specialists. Last year, the council spenta a lot of time researching: and choosing the two plans that were settled on. A3 3.7% increase when inflation is over 5% does not seem unreasonable and council members present did not have an issue with the The decision on what they choose will be voted on at the regular council meeting following the  increase. workshop.  Therel being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 6:22 pm.  Respertfulysubmitted, L Mitchell Mack, Mayor ATTEST Zax Graham Wells,Town  Clerk  Town ofA Astatula Workshop Minutes June: 13, 2023 Page 3of3