City employees request open communication on health insurance renewal

Thirty-one City of Rhinelander employees signed a letter read to city alderpersons on Sept. 8 expressing concern about remarks made during the Aug. 25 common council meeting regarding health insurance plans.
“It has come to our attention that medical insurance plans for 2026 and beyond was discussed at the Council meeting on Aug. 25 without being on the agenda,” the letter reads. “As employees of the city, we are directly impacted by what gets put into effect and would like to be informed of what gets presented and passed.”
In the letter, the employees recount the circumstances surrounding last year’s health insurance discussion, which was resolved when a mechanic position was forfeited to reduce the financial impact on all employees.
The letter ends with a request for a meeting “that will allow open discussion between yourselves, employees, human resources and M3 to discuss options and get a better understanding of the potential increases, where that money will come from and future health insurance options.”
“While we know we cannot negotiate health insurance, we ask that we be kept informed so that we can make informed decisions for our families’ health and financial well-being,” the letter concludes.

There was no reference to representatives from M3 Insurance or a presentation on city employee health insurance on the council’s Aug. 25 agenda. The two M3 employees spoke after city administrator Patrick Reagan “yielded time” while the group was on the topic of the administrator’s report.
According to city attorney Steve Sorenson, Reagan’s choice to yield time does not constitute an open meetings violation.
“The presentation was given because the people showed up and wanted to talk to the Council about their product and discuss the insurance market as it exists in today’s environment,” Sorenson wrote in response to the Star Journal’s request for clarification. “The City Administrator used his time to introduce them. This was not an action item, it was not a discussion item, it was just their information. The issue of insurance is set for an upcoming budget meeting. This will be the first time the Council will consider the issue of insurance renewal. It has not and will not be considered before that time by anyone other than the professional staff preparing their presentations to the Council.”
“I know that there are people running around the community saying that the city insurances are being changed and that costs are going to increase or that deductibles will be higher because of what the sales people said at the council meeting (on Aug. 25) but that is not real,” he continued. “No one has even started to analyze all the products that are available and what the options may be. This will all be part of the budget process. There is nothing in the open meeting law that prevents a city administrator from allowing someone to speak who happens to be in town. We could have had them speak at the public comment portion but I thought it better for the city administrator to introduce them rather than have them just start speaking. There was definitely no open meetings law violation.”
Reagan and Mayor Kris Hanus did not immediately respond to a request for a response to the employees’ letter. Readers can review the remarks made by the representatives from M3 during the Aug, 25 meeting by visiting www.hodagtv.com. Recordings of the council’s regular meetings are available there.