Hearing Precedes Anticipated Action On Self-Insurance Fund Panel
Hearing Precedes
Anticipated Action On
Self-Insurance Fund Panel
By John Voket
A 7 pm public hearing Wednesday, January 19, will take comments ahead of a Legislative Council meeting that is expected to authorize by ordinance the creation of a Self-Funded Health Insurance Committee and related fund management guidelines. The hearing will also take public input regarding the implementation of a fire lane ordinance.
If approved, a proposed three-member panel with two alternates would be created and charged with the administration and oversight of a fund established to pay claims and related costs to participants in Newtownâs municipal self-funded health insurance program.
That program was created for all town employees, including school staff, in 2010.
According to Ordinance Committee Chair Mary Ann Jacob, the administrative panel would function similarly to the local Pension Committee. Its members would work with town officials and representatives of the health plan being provided through the town-managed program.
âThe ordinance will also protect and restrict the use of funds exclusively for paying claims and related costs,â Ms Jacob said.
The ordinance would also establish meeting requirements for the committee and will outline the purpose of the fund.
Ms Jacob said the proposed fire lane ordinance contains identical language from one approved by the previous legislative council, which could not be enacted because of a process-related issue that occurred at the time.
If approved, she said, the measure will strengthens an existing fire lane ordinance by enhancing powers of the fire marshalâs office to designate, establish, and mark such lanes, along with defining enforcement guidelines, fines, and penalties for violations on the part of property owners who are bound to create fire lanes, as well as those drivers who violate the ordinance by blocking the lanes.
âIt also outlines the appeals process for anyone found in violation,â Ms Jacob said.
The public hearing will take place at the Newtown Municipal Center at Fairfield Hills.