A Macon City Council request is on its way to Mayor Robert Reichert to overturn a staff committee’s recommendation on hiring a consultant for the city’s insurance plan.

If Reichert accedes, the resolution sponsored by Councilman Tom Ellington would end a dispute that deadlocked the choice for more than a year, substantially delaying the search for a new insurance plan administrator.

In September 2010, the Macon City Council approved a new employee health insurance plan, and accordingly it prepared to find a new plan manager to put into place the expected changes.

The first step, council members decided, was to hire a consultant to help with the search. Council members said then that they wanted to find a consultant as soon as possible.

Months ago a staff committee unanimously recommended the Atlanta office of Gallagher Benefit Services, which bid $65,000 for the job.

The runner-up was the local office of BB&T, which bid $15,000 less than Gallagher. Nevertheless, Human Resources Director Ben Hubbard said Gallagher’s experience and additional expertise made the firm the best choice.

Council committees disagreed, repeatedly questioning the administration’s choice. In May, Councilwoman Elaine Lucas specifically instructed Hubbard to recommend BB&T instead.

That didn’t happen, so Ellington’s resolution asks Reichert to write a contract with BB&T within 45 days.

Once a consultant is in place, the search can begin for a new plan administrator. Finance Director Dale Walker has said that administrator needs to be chosen and in place by the June 30 end of this fiscal year.

Macon is self-insured, but it hires an outside administrator to manage its plan. Coventry Health Care of Georgia remains as administrator on a month-to-month basis until a new one is found.

The council voted 12-2 Tuesday night to approve Ellington’s resolution. Councilman Henry Ficklin and Councilwoman Nancy White were the only no votes, and Councilman Virgil Watkins was absent.

Pension hike

A request to check the feasibility of giving retired police, firefighters and their beneficiaries a $100 per month raise passed 13-0.

Councilman Henry Gibson, who as a retired police captain would benefit from the raise, recused himself from the vote.

The resolution from Councilman Ed DeFore asks that the Fire and Police Retirement System board have its actuary determine whether the fund can afford to give that raise.

“This is the same resolution that Rev. (Charles) Jones and his committee passed around six and a half years ago,” DeFore said. Jones, a city councilman, is also a member of the fire and police pension board.

Councilman Rick Hutto noted that the raise, even if found feasible and approved, only applies to the police and fire pension system.

City retirees receive a 1.5 percent cost-of-living raise every January unless City Council specifically prevents it, Hubbard has said.

Debt collection

NCO Financial Systems of New Bern, N.C., will become the city’s new debt collector following a 13-0 council vote.

It got committee approval to become the collection agent for the city’s long-overdue bills. The city set a new collection policy late last year, seeking to recoup some of $700,000 in long-overdue bills. The biggest debts are owed to the city landfill and business license office.

NCO will get to keep 15.5 percent of what it collects. That should still net the city $200,000 to $300,000, Walker has said.

Ficklin cast the only opposing vote, but Lucas warned that NCO must make sure all the debts it tries to collect are legitimate. She said she’s already received a voicemail from the firm seeking payment for a ticket received by her son. Lucas said that ticket has long since been paid but apparently is still in the system.

Solicitation fees

For-profit firms seeking to sell door-to-door in Macon will have to pay $100 for a 60-day permit under an ordinance that passed 14-0.

The ordinance sponsored by Hutto sets the fee, but an ordinance establishing rules for door-to-door sales passed last year. It exempts nonprofit organizations, churches and politicians, and it limits commercial solicitors to daytime sales hours.

Ficklin opposed the ordinance in committee and said he still wishes for an exemption for college students selling books door-to-door. But he applauded Hutto for the concept and voted for the ordinance as presented to the full council.

To contact writer Jim Gaines, call 744-4489.