HOWLAND Cooperation saves township $155,000 on insurance

Work on a retention pond and the senior center is pending.
HOWLAND -- Township administrator Darlene St. George announced Wednesday the township will save about $155,000 in annual employee health-care costs beginning Monday, but the level of coverage will remain unchanged.
Township officials and the unions representing police, fire and public works employees met repeatedly for five months to create a health insurance plan that will save money.
Health insurance providers met over the five months with representatives from the unions, department heads and the administration, explaining options.
St. George said the annual health insurance cost will not exceed $545,340, down from $697,000 last year.
"I'm ecstatic with the cooperation," St. George told township trustees at Wednesday's meeting.
She said the employees worked with the township and agreed to a plan that will cost them more for health insurance while saving township costs.
"It something they didn't have to do," St. George said.
"In these days of rising health insurance costs, we've found a way to reduce costs by working together," Fire Chief George Brown added.
Health-care costs are rising about 16 percent per year, officials said. The savings will be put into the general township fund.
Flood projects
Modarelli Excavating was awarded a contract as the low bidder at $80,597 for the Howland Glen detention pond project, which will include paving, cleaning and mowing. An additional $3,256 for post-flood engineering services was paid to Thomas Fok and Associates of Warren.
Fifty-six percent of the retention pond project will be covered by state Issue 2 funds, township officials said.
It was announced that the water heater and double furnace in the township senior center will be replaced by Thompson Heating & amp; Cooling of Warren for $4,680.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse Howland Township for the costs because the equipment was damaged during this summer's flooding.