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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Joint City Council and Utilities Commission Meeting September 21, 2026

City Council — Monday, September 21, 2026
BodyGreenville, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, September 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 33:50

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1:59

All right, good evening.

2:00

I'd like to call the joint meeting of the Greenville City Council and the Greenville Utilities Commission to uh to order on May, excuse me, on September 21st, 2026.

2:09

I'm Mayor PJ Connolly.

2:11

I'll be uh presiding over the meeting for the council.

2:15

I'd like to call the September 21st meeting of the Green Utilities Commission to order.

2:24

I'd like to call on our city clerk for the roll call.

2:27

Yes, sir.

2:28

Mayor Connolly?

2:29

Here.

2:29

Mayor Pratem Foreman.

2:30

Here.

2:31

Council Member Jones?

2:32

Here.

2:32

Council Councilmember Hardy?

2:34

Here.

2:34

Councilmember Scully.

2:36

Here.

2:36

Councilmember Robinson.

2:37

Here.

2:37

Councilmember Willis.

2:39

Here.

2:39

All right, Mayor Connelly of a quorum.

2:40

Thank you very much.

2:41

Uh I'd like to call on the executive secretary.

2:45

Of the board, uh, to call the role for the the the purpose of determining a quorum for the meeting tonight.

2:51

Okay, Chair Blunt.

2:53

Here.

2:53

Chairlett Carr?

2:54

Here.

2:55

Secretary Godley.

2:56

Here.

2:56

Commissioner Fuller?

2:57

Here.

2:58

Commissioner Swain.

2:59

Here.

2:59

Commissioner Shaw.

3:01

Here.

3:01

Commissioner Edmunds.

3:03

Here.

3:04

Commissioner Cowan.

3:06

We have a quorum.

3:07

Thank you.

3:08

All right.

3:08

Now we'll move on to the approval of tonight's agenda.

3:10

Mr.

3:11

Manager, any recommended changes?

3:12

We have no recommended changes.

3:14

Do I have a motion from the council?

3:15

Motion.

3:16

Second.

3:20

Second by Councilmember Scully.

3:22

Yes, sir.

3:22

All those in favor say aye.

3:23

Aye.

3:25

Motion passes six zero.

3:27

Mr.

3:27

Cannon, do we have any changes for the agenda?

3:30

No, sir.

3:30

Oh, Chairman, a motion to uh approve the uh agenda.

3:37

Okay, we have uh one of the uh motion second Bob Shaw.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Procedural███████████████████████24%
Utilities Commission████████████████17%
Energy Conservation████████8%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Joint City Council and Utilities Commission Meeting September 21, 2026

The Greenville City Council and Greenville Utilities Commission held a joint meeting on September 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included a public comment period and a presentation on recommended changes to health and dental plan benefits for plan year 2027. Both bodies unanimously approved the agenda, minutes from a prior meeting, and the benefits recommendations.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: The City Council approved the agenda by a 6-0 vote; the Utilities Commission also approved unanimously.
  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the April 20, 2026 joint meeting were approved unanimously by both the City Council (6-0) and the Utilities Commission.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ms. Harold (speaker, identified as a farmer in the REA district) urged the city and utilities to install solar panels on municipal buildings (e.g., libraries, fire stations, schools). She stated that solar panels saved Tarboro $25 million over a 10-year period, and noted that a contact of hers could provide a design for the city. She expressed support for solar energy as a cost-saving measure, citing examples from her own farm and her sister's home.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation on Plan Year 2027 Health and Dental Plan Benefits: Joe Harton of Marsh Consultants presented recommendations to address an initially projected 28% increase in health insurance costs (from ~$21 million to ~$27 million). Key points included:
    • Actuarial adjustments: A normalization of high-cost claims (99 claims over $50,000 accounted for 45% of total claims) reduced the increase from 28% to 18% (national average for similar employers is 14–16%).
    • RFP process: Cigna was retained after a competitive bidding process with Aetna, Blue Cross NC, and United Healthcare. Cigna offered the best provider discounts (roughly 2% better than the next carrier), minimal disruption, and $750,000 per year in administrative cost savings.
    • Plan design changes: Enhanced and core PPO plans were adjusted but remain above benchmark; the HSA plan saw only IRS-required deductible changes. Overall, the plans remain competitive.
    • Employee contribution increase: A 15% increase in employee contributions was recommended. Examples given: single HSA employee would see a $1.16 bi-weekly increase; a family on the enhanced plan earning over $61,000 would see a $55 bi-weekly increase.
    • Dental plan: A 2.3% contribution increase was recommended, with minimal per-paycheck impact (cents).
  • Council and Commission Discussion:
    • Councilmembers and commissioners questioned the sustainability of cost trends, the potential for future increases, and the need for employee communication. Councilmembers expressed appreciation for staff's work in reducing the original 28% increase to 18%.
    • Commissioner Shaw noted that medical advances (e.g., cancer treatments, joint replacements) may continue to drive cost increases. The consultant acknowledged that trends may not return to previous norms and that further opportunities (e.g., prescription drug plan bidding) could be explored.

Key Outcomes

  • The City Council voted 6-0 to approve the health and dental plan recommendations for plan year 2027.
  • The Greenville Utilities Commission voted unanimously (voice vote, motion carried) to approve the same recommendations.
  • The consultant and staff will execute an employee communication and enrollment process to explain changes and options.
  • The meeting adjourned after the votes.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening. I'd like to call the joint meeting of the Greenville City Council and the Greenville Utilities Commission to uh to order on May, excuse me, on September 21st, 2026. I'm Mayor PJ Connolly. I'll be uh presiding over the meeting for the council. I'd like to call the September 21st meeting of the Green Utilities Commission to order. I'd like to call on our city clerk for the roll call. Yes, sir. Mayor Connolly? Here. Mayor Pratem Foreman. Here. Council Member Jones? Here. Council Councilmember Hardy? Here. Councilmember Scully. Here. Councilmember Robinson. Here. Councilmember Willis. Here. All right, Mayor Connelly of a quorum. Thank you very much. Uh I'd like to call on the executive secretary. Of the board, uh, to call the role for the the the purpose of determining a quorum for the meeting tonight. Okay, Chair Blunt. Here. Chairlett Carr? Here. Secretary Godley. Here. Commissioner Fuller? Here. Commissioner Swain. Here. Commissioner Shaw. Here. Commissioner Edmunds. Here. Commissioner Cowan. We have a quorum. Thank you. All right. Now we'll move on to the approval of tonight's agenda. Mr. Manager, any recommended changes? We have no recommended changes. Do I have a motion from the council? Motion. Second.

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