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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 07/01/2014 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 083, 2014, APPROPRAgenda Item 3 Item # 3 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY July 1, 2014 City Council STAFF Amy Sharkey, Benefits & HRIS Manager Kelly DiMartino, Assistant City Manager SUBJECT Second Reading of Ordinance No. 083, 2014, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Benefits Fund for the Employee Wellness Center. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on June 3, 2014, appropriates funds from the Benefits Fund reserves for facility/infrastructure enhancements and start-up costs for the Employee Wellness Center (commonly referred to as an Onsite Clinic). A recital statement regarding the location of the Onsite Clinic is deleted from the Ordinance for Second Reading. The location of the Onsite Clinic may or may not be at 256 West Mountain. Further review of this location is being conducted by the City's Operations Services staff. Additional City-owned building options are available and will be included with the final review. In all of the options being considered, the requested funding is still needed to renovate the space once a final location is selected. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading. ATTACHMENTS 1. Copy of First Reading Agenda Item Summary , June 3, 2014 (w/o attachments) (PDF) Agenda Item 10 Item # 10 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY June 3, 2014 City Council STAFF Amy Sharkey, Benefits & HRIS Manager Kelly DiMartino, Assistant City Manager SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 083, 2014, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Benefits Fund for the Employee Wellness Center. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate funds from the Benefits Fund reserves for facility/infrastructure enhancements to 256 West Mountain and start-up costs for the Employee Wellness Center (commonly referred to as an Onsite Clinic). Advantages to offering a Center include:  anticipated reduction in health care cost trends  greater ability to manage health risks through coaching and onsite disease management program  integrated medical records  established medical home for employees and dependents making health information available to providers  enhanced wellness efforts by supporting proactive health care management. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION In 2009, Benefits staff began exploring the concept of a Wellness Center with the submission of a Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO) offer in the 2010-2011 budgets. The offer was not accepted with the understanding that further research was needed. Since that time, the healthcare landscape has changed significantly, and staff has conducted extensive research regarding the feasibility of a City Wellness Center. In August 2012, Hays Companies, the City’s Benefits Consultant, met with the Executive Lead Team and presented a conceptual analysis regarding implementation of a Center. The concept was determined to have merit, and staff was directed to more fully research a potential Center. In order to fully evaluate the feasibility of a Center, it was necessary to select a specific vendor with whom we would be working. In May 2013, the City of Fort Collins posted a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an Onsite Employee Wellness Center. Staff worked closely with Hays Companies to construct a RFP that identified the potential needs of a Center with many different options for services. Nine proposals were received. Three vendors were interviewed. Marathon Health has been selected as the potential vendor to provide the City with an Employee Wellness Center. Additionally, the City explored partnerships with other entities who already have onsite Wellness Centers, including Larimer County and the cities of Loveland and Greeley. Staff determined this was not a viable option; however, valuable insight was gained that was utilized during review of the vendor proposals. Agenda Item 10 Item # 10 Page 2 After working through a specific proposal with Marathon, staff determined that an Employee Wellness Center would help the City to better manage health care costs. In March 2014, Benefits staff met with the Council Finance Committee to review the proposal. At the Committee’s request, staff provided additional information about the type of incentives that would be used to increase participation rates and a 5 year ROI projection beginning in 2015. The Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend that staff move forward with the appropriation request and implementation of the Employee Wellness Center. The Employee Wellness Center will be located at 256 West Mountain, in a building already owned by the City, providing central and convenient access for City employees and their family members. The Center is intended to augment primary care, not replace it. However, many employees may not have a primary care physician, so the Wellness Center will provide primary care resources for those employees. FINANCIAL / ECONOMIC IMPACTS As a self-insured entity, the City seeks to strategically manage our health care costs. One way to do this is by influencing employee consumerism/behavior as to how they use their health plan; another is to drive preventative care and wellness to develop a healthier workforce and lower risks. Since 2008, City claims have risen, on average, by 6.1%, which is lower than national averages. In 2013, claims rose by 9%, exceeding our projections for the first time since 2007. The City has conservatively managed benefit costs, and our Benefits Fund reserves are solid. During the past two years, the City intentionally drew down reserves by just over $2 million in 2013 and projecting $1.9 million in 2014. An additional $565,820 was used in 2013 as a result of higher than projected claims costs. Managing costs continues to be a priority. In 2015, Healthcare Reform is projected to increase benefits costs by approximately $405,470, and overall healthcare costs are anticipated to rise at a rate of 5%. The cost for the Employee Wellness Center in 2014 includes Marathon’s implementation (start-up) costs of $147,700 for Center equipment and $241,000 for facility/infrastructure costs, for a total of $388,700. Attached is the Wellness Center 5 Year ROI claims projection with the implementation of the Center in January 2015 (Attachment 1). The ROI is based on the following assumptions:  Projected participation rate in first year is 50% and 60% in the second year. Participation rates are based on data collected from other local government clinics.  The City anticipates growing to an 80% participation rate in year five.  Not including productivity savings, the analysis demonstrates the City will break even early in year three. The cost recovery model for the Employee Wellness Center is based on two factors: lowering claims costs reducing the overall cost trend and employee/dependent participation. ATTACHMENTS 1. Cost Feasibility Analysis (PDF) - 1 - ORDINANCE NO. 083, 2014 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE BENEFITS FUND FOR THE EMPLOYEE WELLNESS CENTER WHEREAS, in 2009, City staff began exploring the concept of providing an on-site medical clinic (“Wellness Center”) to provide basic healthcare treatment for City employees and dependents who participate in the City’s healthcare plan and has researched the economic feasibility of a Wellness Center; and WHEREAS, staff has also explored developing a partnership with another governmental entity to jointly provide basic healthcare services to the entities’ employees and has determined that this is not a viable option; and WHEREAS, in 2013, staff posted a request for proposals and selected a vendor to provide basic healthcare services at a Wellness Center; and WHEREAS, in March 2014, staff met with the Council Finance Committee to review the selected vendor’s proposal to establish a Wellness Center for the City, and the Council Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend that staff move forward with the steps necessary to establish a Wellness Center; and WHEREAS, staff anticipates that providing a Wellness Center for employees and dependents who participate in the City’s healthcare plan will reduce the City’s healthcare costs; and WHEREAS, the Employee Wellness Center will be located at 256 West Mountain in a building owned by the City; and WHEREAS, the total cost for the Employee Wellness Center in 2014 is $388,700 which includes the selected vendor’s implementation costs for center equipment ($147,700) and facility and infrastructure costs ($241,000) with a projected five year return on investment; and WHEREAS, staff has determined that sufficient funds are available in the reserves of the benefits fund to fund the facility and infrastructure costs for the Wellness Center; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years, if such reserves were not previously appropriated. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the Benefits Fund the sum of THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY-EIGHT THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS ($388,700) for an Employee Wellness Center. - 2 - Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 3rd day of June, A.D. 2014, and to be presented for final passage on the 1st day of July, A.D. 2014. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 1st day of July, A.D. 2014. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk