Page 19 - Saginaw FY19 Annual Budget

expansion of FM 156. Street repairs will be made on Industrial Avenue, East and
West McLeroy, Topeka Drive, Mockingbird Drive, Whistle Stop Drive, and Carriage
Lane. Anderson Street from Saginaw Boulevard to Blue Bonnet will be
reconstructed. Construction of the Bailey Boswell Overpass will begin and Bailey
Boswell Road construction phases 2 and 3 will be completed. Design will be
completed for Phases 2 and 3 of the East Cement Creek Drainage Project so that
construction may begin in FY 2019-2020. Lobby and workstation improvements
will be made at City Hall. Interview room equipment will be replaced at the Police
Station. A portion of the Aquatic Center floor will be replaced and the large slide
will be refurbished. At the Recreation Center we will replace five elliptical
machines and at the Animal Shelter we will replace office furniture in the lobby. A
temporary building will be purchased to meet the needs of the Public Works
Department.

 Retaining quality employees in all departments: The City’s most valuable asset is
its employees. Approximately 17% of our employees have been with the City
twenty years or more and are eligible for retirement under the City’s retirement
plan. Another 11% have been with the City a minimum of fifteen years and will be
eligible for retirement in five years or less. A considerable amount of knowledge
about the City, its history and operations will be lost. It is extremely important that
the City continue to offer competitive salary and benefits in order to hire and retain
quality employees. The contribution rate to the Texas Municipal Retirement
System will be increased to 7% from the current 6%. The City and employee
st
contribution rate will both increase on January 1 2019. This rate is consistent
with surrounding and similar sized cities in the State. The retirement increase along
with the compensation study and implementation completed last year will enable
the City to attract high quality applicants.

 Controlling the cost of employee health insurance: Steadily increasing insurance
rates require serious consideration during the budget process. The City has an
Insurance Committee comprised of an employee from each department who works
with the administrative staff to seek affordable quality insurance. After negotiating
with our current providers, and soliciting and reviewing proposals for dental
coverage, the City will remain with our current medical provider and add dental
coverage. The previous dental provider proposed a 20% increase in premiums.
By adding dental coverage to the current medical plan, the City will see no increase
in dental rates and a 1% decrease in medical rates. The dental rates are
guaranteed for two years.

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