The Jonesboro City Council met on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the Municipal Center Council Chambers. Prior to the regular meeting, a Public Services Committee meeting was held at 4:30 p.m., a Public Safety Committee meeting at 5:00 p.m., and a public hearing at 5:25 p.m. regarding the abandonment of a drainage easement in Southern Hills (no public comments were made, and the hearing was closed). The regular meeting featured a special presentation on the city's self-funded health insurance plan, action on numerous resolutions and ordinances, and reports from the mayor and council.
We do have a public hearing at uh public hearing regarding the abandonment of green easement location of block 5R and the second edition of block Court of Arsenal discussion by anybody in the audience who would like to talk about this easement. I don't see any, so that will be closed for the moment, and uh just in a few minutes, we'll open up City Council meeting. Thank you. It is five thirty, and we're gonna go ahead and start. Um I'll lead us in a pledge allegiance, and then Dr. Charles Coleman will lead us in invocation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republican. Under individual liberty. All right, Council members, if you would please go ahead and cast your ballot for being present. All right, we do have nine present this evening. We do have a quorum, so next we'll move on to special presentations. Uh council, I think it's very imperative that uh again, you brought it to my attention early on. Um I think we need to have more special presentations in front of City Council, making council aware of things that we're doing, uh, and also things that you have voted on and supported uh when it comes to moving forward with the city budget. We've made some really large decisions in the last five years when it comes to health insurance, the rising ex uh just cost um are becoming prohibitive for so many citizens across our community. And so I want to say, first of all, when we bring it to council, uh the engagement piece that you all have is very important. And again, I want you to know what we're doing behind the scenes as well with our department heads. Dwayne, if you want to come forward and you can make an introduction here of the members that are present this evening. I felt tonight it's very important for you to see the results of your decision and and ours that we brought to you the reflection of what we have done now in over a year being on a self-serving program. That was a big step for the city of Jonesboro. And as you know, it's always a priority of this administration to put our employees' uh needs first, and health care is one of those. It's very important. A lot of times we can't provide other needs and services, but with the health insurance uh participation levels that council approves every year in our budget, that allows us to be competitive for our employees and helps them in the pocketbook, and they can get the best health care. So in turn, they're able to be at work. So Duane, if you would feel free to go ahead, you have the floor, and I I appreciate counsel's attention. Yeah, I think you also, and I think it's uh be very beneficial to everyone to see how the plan has been evolving as we started. Uh I think you're going to be impressed with the numbers and information, and I'm pleased to have the Hatcher group with me tonight uh along with uh ADP as well, uh, because now we have the self-service on our mobile apps and things like that for employees. So I'll talk a little bit about that, but I won't uh talk any more, but I'll turn it over to Greg Hatcher and let him explain about the plan. Sure. Well, um I think the first thing I'd like to do is just talk about health care costs in general, even before we get into the details, because you know, as it for a person that's not dealing with it every single day, it's like why are the costs going up and up and up? It's like you're just running against a headwind all the time. So there's several reasons. One, you know, when we passed health care reform in 2008, it took place, 2010. We added uh no pre-existing conditions, we added wellness to the plans that weren't covered before. We we added birth control pills, we added psychiatric drug, alcohol um recovery with no with no limit. Okay, it used to be used to have all these limits. So any time you add to a plan more coverage, it's going to cost more money. I always use the example that you can go buy a Camry, just the Bayes Camry, or you can buy one with leather seats with a spoiler with a sunroof with you know cool tires, and it's always going to cost more. So there's no argument that the additional coverages that we added were really important, and um certainly take care of Americans better, but I think what Americans weren't ready for is the compounding of that year after year after year. Then you have guys like me, baby boomers, the aging of the population. So today our society for every for every one person that's you know retired, we have four working to pay for them. In the next 10 years, it could be there's they're showing the ratios could be two to one. Just the population is aging, and as we age, you know, we use more health care. Um, and then I think everybody knows that we have more and more procedures. You know, it used to be when I started in this business, somebody had a heart issue, they had a quadruple bypass. Today, somebody has a heart issue, most of the time they get a stint, you know, in their home in a couple days. Okay. Used to be that people died from those things. I have personally witnessed a heart attack um playing pickleball with a guy that they said 98% chance he shouldn't make it, but he had a doctor doing CPR, we did the work, you know, and I'm eating dinner with him a week later. So health care is very important. There's nothing more important than your health.