Goodland City Commission Approves Health Fund Amendment and Insurance Renewal, Discusses Land De-annexation

On December 18, 2023, the Goodland City Commission held a meeting. Mayor Aaron Thompson led the meeting. Vice-Mayor J. J. Howard, Commissioner Jason Showalter, and Commissioner Brook Redlin attended. Commissioner Ann Myers was absent. Other attendees included city officials like Dustin Bedore, Director of Electric Utilities, Jason Erhart, Chief of Police, and Kent Brown, City Manager.

The meeting started with a public hearing about the 2023 budget amendment for the Health and Sanitation Fund. The amendment was due to a contract change with a company named In the Can, which led to more revenues and expenditures. Mayor Thompson opened and closed the public hearing within two minutes.

Zekke Beringer, a citizen, asked the city to de-annex a piece of land near Caruso in the county. He owns five plots there and wants to start a gun range and other projects. He argued that the city doesn't need to maintain anything there and mentioned that a shooting range is not allowed within city limits. Mayor Thompson clarified that the land was annexed for a planned energy plant years ago.

The meeting continued with the approval of the Consent Agenda. This included the Commission Meeting Minutes from December 4, 2023, and Appropriation Ordinances: 2023-24, 2023-24A, and 2023-P24. Vice-Mayor Howard made the motion to approve the Consent Agenda, and Commissioner Redlin seconded it. The vote was 4-0.

The commission approved the 2023 budget amendment for the Health and Sanitation Fund and the 2024 renewal of BCBS Health Insurance. The expected costs of the latter decreased by 5.7%, a reduction of $44,063. The administrative costs stayed the same, and the stop loss premium decreased slightly by 0.4%. Mayor Thompson made the motion to approve the renewal of the BCBS Health Insurance, and Commissioner Redlin seconded it. The vote was 4-0. The meeting ended with a discussion about Airport Board Applications for James Baker, Jon Yost, and Dustin Stephenson.

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