West Newsmagazine 10-11-17

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St. Louis;Town & Country;E19120-2;4.916x5.6-4c (17Fa)
October 11, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I NEWS I 9
project is not yet finalized due to the fact
that hours need to be scheduled for workers
to tend to each hydrant. The project
would start in the upcoming months, but
due to the citywide nature of the project,
completion could take up to a year.
Reimbursement Arrangement Basic Plan
and the Health Reimbursement Arrangement
Summary Plan documents, which can
be viewed by contacting the city clerk’s
office.
WE’LL SAVE YOU A BUNDLE
AND QUITE A FEW LAYERS.
MANCHESTER
City celebrated for
conservation commitment
The city of Manchester was one of 50
agencies and organizations statewide
selected to receive a 2017 Conservation
Partnership Award – and the only municipality
represented among the 50.
The Missouri Department of Conservation
and the Missouri Conservation Heritage
Foundation presented the award at
the “100 Years of Missouri Conservation,
Partnership and Philanthropy” reception
held in Springfield on Sept. 22.
The award was presented in appreciation
for service and commitment to conservation
causes in Missouri. Specifically, Manchester
was recognized for having been
awarded the Tree Resource Improvement
and Maintenance Program grant, known as
a TRIM grant, in 2015 and 2016. Through
the funds, the city performed a street tree
inventory and recently created the municipal
tree conservation ordinance.
Board approves employee
health benefits
At the city of Manchester’s Board of
Aldermen meeting on Oct. 2, two resolutions
unanimously were approved regarding
health benefits for city employees.
City Administrator Larry Perney
reviewed and analyzed the various group
health insurance carrier bids that had been
solicited through the city’s broker, Beattie
and Associates. Perney recommended,
and the Board unanimously passed, the
adoption of services from Anthem, Inc., a
division of Blue Cross Blue Shield. The
board also unanimously approved a resolution
to accept the services of BeneFlex HR
Resources, Inc., to provide a health reimbursement
program for city employees.
Both programs will be backdated to begin
Oct. 1 and will end on Sept. 30, 2018.
Under this reimbursement program,
employees will be repaid for monies spent
on health care expenses after the single
or family deductible is met for the year.
For single coverage, the out-of-pocket
expense is $750 for an employee, with the
balance of $4,250 paid by the city. The
family plan, which is two or more family
members, is an out-of-pocket expense of
$1,500, with the balance of $8,500 paid
by the city.
The terms and conditions of the reimbursement
plan are set forth in the Health
ST. LOUIS COUNTY
County to increase Prop
P transparency
St. Louis County officials hope that
a newly-approved measure will make
residents more aware of how the half-cent
Proposition P sales tax for public safety is
spent. They also believe it will increase the
chance the money is spent for the purpose
of improving police protection.
The County Council, on Oct. 3, voted
5-0 in favor of the bill sponsored by Councilmember
Mark Harder [R-District 7].
Councilmembers Hazel Erby [D-District
1] and Rochelle Walton Gray [D-District 4]
abstained.
“I am strongly in favor of that piece of
legislation,” said County Executive Steve
Stenger, who said he is planning a signing
ceremony for the bill. “I think that the
more transparency the better, especially as
it relates to Prop P money.”
The bill calls for keeping county revenues
from the tax in a separate account
within the general fund. Using a special
internet portal, the public could view how
the county spends its share of revenues.
“When I took office, one of the first
things I did was create an accountability
portal,” Stenger said. He added that, with
this close-up look at how the money is
spent, “you can basically see in real time
where money is going throughout St. Louis
County.”
The current portal will have an addendum
showing budget details for Proposition
P money, Stenger said. Although
the county can’t regulate how individual
municipalities spend the money, Harder
said his bill will encourage them to spend
it for the intended purpose.
“We wanted to take the leadership side of
this,” Harder said. “We wanted to show the
rest of the folks how we’re going to do this,
and how we’re going to make it more transparent.
It’s going to be up to the 91 municipalities
what they want to do with it.”
The system likely will be set up in
upcoming budget deliberations, Harder
said.
“Once this is set up electronically, residents
can go on our site [stlouisco.com]
and see exactly how much is coming in
on the revenue side. It will also line item
Prop P funds instead of throwing them into
the big category of sales tax,” Harder said.
“On the expense side, they will also be
able to see what it is being spent on. Is it
being spent on salaries, body cameras, cars,
whatever.”
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E19120-2-17Fa-4.916x5.6-4c.indd 1
8/16/17 3:37 PM
Central Baptist Church of Eureka
would like to invite everyone to their annual
Reality House
Hope to see you there!
Come and Experience Reality House!!
Reality House is a spiritual alternative and challenge that allows you to travel
through a series of events including the “Reality” of real life and death
choices. Real actors, real events that everyone will have to face some day.
Are you ready? Challenging people since 1994.
This event is free and open to the public.
Canned food donations (for Food Pantry) will be accepted,
but not required for entry.
Reality House is very realistic and children under 6th grade may not feel
comfortable.
Dates: Wed. & Thurs: October 25th & 26th, 2017
Fri. & Sat: October 27th & 28th, 2017
7:00–10:00 PM
7:00–11:00 PM
Directions: I-44 to the Eureka exit, North on 109 then turn left onto West 5th Street,
go to Central Ave. and turn right and then follow attendant parking directions.
Contact Church Office for more info: 636-938-5577
Church Address: 601 N. Central, Eureka, MO 63025
Church Website: www.cbcserves.org/reality-house