At the request of city staff who wish to establish an employee wellness program, the city council discussed the matter during Monday night’s meeting and seemed to reach a consensus with unanimous support for the idea.

City Administrator Carol Webb said such programs are common among similar-sized cities, and the proposal was to use $23,400 from the city’s group health insurance fund to pay for the program, which is an acceptable use. The fund currently has a balance of over $950,000.

Focuses of the wellness program would include nutrition, stress management, healthy habits, biometric screenings, flu shots and lifestyle management. New Parks and Recreation Director Kelsie Stafford previously managed the employee wellness program in Muscatine, and Webb felt her expertise would come in handy.

“Statistics do show that over time, maybe not immediately, but over time, these types of programs can help reduce health claim costs. It takes a few years to realize that, but we think it would also be an excellent benefit to offer our employees,” Webb said.

Stafford and Human Resources Director Jill Petermeier would be in charge of managing the program, and Councilor Greg Nichols quickly expressed his support, noting that such programs are common among private sector employers with substantial staff. Councilor Melisa Fonseca also sought clarification on which staff and departments would be included, and Webb said they would likely offer it to full and part-time staff with a possible additional cost for part-timers. Spouses can also be included for a fee.

Councilor Mark Mitchell wondered about a designated fitness area being worked into the new system, and Webb noted that in Muscatine, the program helped to supplement memberships at the local YMCA/YWCA with requirements to prove that the employees were going often enough to earn the benefit.

Councilor Gary Thompson suggested allowing the use of the Police/Fire building fitness center, and Webb replied that while she hasn’t discussed it with those leaders yet, it could be an option. Because of the price of Y memberships and those at other private gyms, Thompson felt the use of a facility already owned by the city could reduce the cost. During the public comment period, Jim Shaw said Planet Fitness only cost $15 a month, and Leigh Bauder praised the city for doing an “excellent job” designing the program and cited the potential Return on Investment (ROI) over time.

“Bottom line, healthy employees tend to be happier employees. This can lead to less absenteeism and better service to our public, which we always need,” she said.

Bauder, who said she’s usually a fiscal conservative, felt the figure presented was too low and encouraged the city to be creative as it expands the program going forward.

“Also, as you design the program — Kelsie, I’m gonna call you out here — make sure it allows for future growth because it will help with the recruitment and the retention for all of our departments, which is desperately needed,” Bauder said.

Webb clarified that the dollar amount presented would be an annual commitment, not just a one-time commitment. A motion to proceed with the plan as outlined in the council packet passed by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.