City Council Signs Off On Employee Healthcare, Golf Course Superintendent

By Alex Haglund

After months of searching on behalf of the Finance and Insurance Committee, the Nashville City Council approved a new employee healthcare plan at their meeting on Thursday, March 3.

The new plan will be from Blue Cross/Blue Shield with the city switching from Coventry.

“It’s the same deal as before, the employees are responsible for the first $500, the city picks up the rest,” said Finance Committee Chair Erik Rolf.

Rolf said that there is no monthly cost to the employees but that they must pay copays for prescriptions and doctor visits. The plan’s monthly cost is $571.61

The employee vision and dental plans were approved as well, which Rolf said are, “basically the same.”

Golf Course Superintendent

Another search that has been going on for a while has been for a new superintendent for the Nashville Municipal Golf Course, and now, that search is over.

Josh Evans, originally from Ashley, now living in Nashville, started work as the new superintendent on March 7. Evans is a 2005 NCHS graduate.

Donations

The council heard from Steve Haertling, who was representing the Nashville City fireworks. Haertling requested a donation of $3,000 from the city, the same as last year, which they approved.

“We’re up to around $12,000,” Haertling said, and he will continue to seek donations and funding for the event up through July 4.

“The fireworks have been a good thing for the community, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about them,” said Mayor Raymond Kolweier.

Haertling said that the one thing he is unsure of is the status of the recycling yard’s lot, which has been where the larger shells are launched from. Hartling, Police Chief Brian Fletcher and council members stated that the parking lot near there may be used if the recycling yard’s lot is not available.

The city also received a request for a donation for this year’s Nashville Post Prom. In the past, the city has given Post Prom $250 and they approved that amount again.

Other

The city approved bids from Emling and Hoffman to act as the city’s auditors for the next three years. The cost for the service will be $13,500, $13,750, and $14,000, in 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively.

The council approved bids for concrete for the year from Beelman Ready Mix. The cost will be $80.70 per cubic yard for less than two cubic yards, and it will be $77.70 per cubic yard for more than two cubic yards.

The annual gas emergency plan meeting will be held on March 17, beginning at 5:30 p.m., with dinner starting at 6 p.m., and will be held in the downstairs of the Nashville American Legion.

A Zoning Board of appeals meeting will be held in March on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. At the conference room at Public Works.

For recycling, 200 residents used the service, recycling 13,630 pounds or 6.815 tons of recyclables,.

The compost site will reopen on Saturday, April 7, and the recycling truck will be out at the site that day.

“I have got a whole bunch of gumballs to give you,” joked council member Doug Hargan.

New Nashville Municipal Golf Course Superintendent Josh Evans started work on March 7.