Click the hyperlinks above to contact an insurance or financial services representative directly.
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In This Issue:
- Boards of Trustees
- 2018 Human Resources and Risk & Safety Management Seminars
- Don’t Forget the Municipal Bond Market When Planning Infrastructure Improvements
- Did You Know?
- Retirement Data Report Available
- Retirement Planning Should Include Health Care Costs
- Governor Rick Scott Proposes Solutions for Florida’s Opioid Crisis
- U.S. Communities Offers Affordable Access to Narcan
- What Will Be Covered Under Workers’ Comp Next?
- Three Things That May Be Missing from Your Wellness Program
- Follow These Guidelines to Ensure Excavating and Trenching Safety
- Winning with Different (AKA Difficult) Employees
- Links for Further Reading
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The Florida Municipal Insurance Trust, Florida Municipal Investment Trust, Florida Municipal Loan Council and Florida Municipal Pension Trust Fund are governed by boards of trustees made up of elected municipal officials. The trustees dedicate their time and expertise to ensuring the Trusts remain strong, stable and prudently managed. We thank them for their commitment. Click
here to view the list of trustees.
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2018 Human Resources and Risk & Safety Management Seminars
The Florida League of Cities will hold five Human Resources and Risk & Safety Management Seminars throughout the state in March and April. Each seminar will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is no registration fee, and lunch will be provided. Please note the location closest to you. Topics will include medical marijuana and the workplace, sexual harassment, workers’ compensation, PTSD and cancer presumption, social media and a day in the life of a risk manager.
- March 20 – City of Panama City
- March 22 – City of St. Augustine
- March 29 – City of Wilton Manors
- April 5 – Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Pinellas Park
- April 12 – FLC University, Orlando
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Don’t Forget the Municipal Bond Market When Planning Infrastructure Improvements
As local governments plan to upgrade infrastructure, the municipal market often is a key source of financing for these improvements.
The Florida Municipal Loan Council provides a cost-effective way for cities to issue municipal debt for infrastructure improvements, capital projects, land acquisitions and building renovations, as well as for refinancing of existing debt. The program, which has issued more than $1 billion since inception, was created to enable cities, counties and other governmental entities to finance projects on a cooperative and cost-effective basis, benefiting from economies of scale associated with larger financings.
Learn more about the municipal securities market and its impact on infrastructure financing in this article from the National League of Cities. It was written by
Susan Collet, director of government relations for the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
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Did You Know?
To date, the Florida Municipal Insurance Trust Safety Grant program has issued 1,019 safety grants worth more than
$2 million to members?
Click here for more information about the program and how to apply.
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Retirement Data Report Available
The Department of Management Services has released the 2017 Florida Local Government Retirement Systems Annual Report. The report includes information about defined-benefit plans for Florida local governments, special districts and school boards. Updated financial and plan benefit information is provided for all local retirement plans. New reporting requirements for retirement plans are also discussed in detail. This report is a great tool for you to see where your retirement plan stacks up against other cities and districts.
Click
here to view the report.
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Retirement Planning Should Include Health Care Costs
A new study shows how much we need saved for retirement when it comes to health care. A lot of times, we plan to cover living expenses during retirement, but we also should consider having lump sums on hand to deal with health care expenses. Legislative changes can turn this goal into a moving target, but this is a good thing to keep in mind when thinking through how much to put away for retirement now.
Learn More
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Governor Rick Scott Proposes Solutions for Florida’s Opioid Crisis
by Lindsey Larson
The opioid epidemic has become so severe that it’s considered a national public health emergency. Addiction to prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone and morphine, has contributed to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths and health care costs.
On September 26, Governor Rick Scott announced that during the 2018 legislative session he would propose major legislation and include more than $50 million as part of his 2018-2019 recommended budget to combat opioid abuse in Florida.
The proposed legislation includes:
- Placing a three-day limit on prescribed opioids, unless strict conditions are met for a seven-day supply.
- Requiring all health care professionals that prescribe or dispense medication to participate in the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, a statewide database that monitors controlled substance prescriptions.
- Additional reforms to fight unlicensed pain management clinics, require continuing education courses on responsibly prescribing opioids, and create new opportunities for federal grant funding.
The proposed investment of more than $50 million would include funding for:
- Substance abuse treatment.
- Counseling and recovery services.
- The Florida Violent Crime and Drug Control Council.
Click
here for more information.
Lindsey Larson is a health insurance account executive for the Florida League of Cities.
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U.S. Communities Offers Affordable Access to Narcan
Is your city working to combat the opioid epidemic? U.S. Communities has partnered with Premier Inc. and Adapt Pharma to offer affordable access Narcan Nasal Spray for public entities.
Click
here
for more information or visit
http://www.uscommunities.org/
.
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What Will Be Covered Under Workers’ Comp Next?
by Vernell K. Goodridge
In Florida Worker’s Compensation statute, like most books, the writing is black and the pages are white. How ironic that when you mix these two colors you get grey! Workers’ compensation law is as grey as it gets!
I’ve learned over the years that if an employee sustains an injury at work, more than likely it will be covered under workers’ comp. The employee doesn’t even have to be engaged in his or her course and scope of employment (under the Personal Comfort Doctrine), or on the clock (under the Employer’s Premises Doctrine).
Now there is talk of holding employers responsible for injuries or conditions that stem from employees sitting all day. My first reaction was –
What? This is scary stuff!
Smart employers are already starting to enlist workers in wellness programs; purchasing standing desks; and encouraging staff to move throughout the day. These efforts usually have to do with rising health insurance premiums. Soon they also may have to do with worker’s compensation and liability claims.
Keeping your staff healthy, of course, has major benefits. Increasingly, doing so might boost an employer’s bottom line, in more ways than one.
Click
here to read an article by the Workers’ Compensation Institute gives a little insight about extended sitting in the workplace and how it might tie into workers’ comp in the future.
Vernell K. Goodridge is an assistant workers’ compensation claims manager for the Florida League of Cities.
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Three Things That May Be Missing from Your Wellness Program
by Gwendolyn Mahabir
A Personalized Approach – Include knowledgeable experts such as health coaches to your municipality’s wellness program. These experts offer credible, one-on-one coaching for employees who’d like extra support in reaching their wellness goals. Individualized health coaching also helps your employees feel empowered to take control of their health.
Supportive Company Culture – Municipalities should focus on creating a healthy culture in which their wellness program can thrive. When an employer authentically encourages staff to be healthy, and provides resources and time during their work day to participate in wellness activities, it experiences a higher level of participation.
Support in All Areas of Wellness – Many wellness programs place most of their emphasis on physical health. To boost engagement, your program also should include activities that address the full wellness spectrum. These includes emotional, social, nutritional, environmental, occupational, intellectual and spiritual support. Be sure wellness challenges, newsletters, seminars and other wellness offerings pull from each area.
Gwendolyn Mahabir is Hometown Health manager for the Florida League of Cities.
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Follow These Guidelines to Ensure Excavating and Trenching Safety
by Jonathan Jaramillo
One of the more common tasks our employees perform on a frequent basis involves excavating and trenching. These are among our most dangerous scopes of work, as many hazards can be present during the excavating and trenching process that may lead to serious injuries or, in some instances, death. It is imperative that every employee exposed to this work receive the proper safety training, tools and equipment to protect against the hazards associated with excavating and trenching.
Read More
Jonathan Jaramillo is a risk and safety consultant for the Florida League of Cities.
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Winning with Different (AKA Difficult) Employees
Difficult people show up in all organizations, as no workplace is immune. The perfect workplace would be full of intrinsically motivated high performers who were always cheerful, were enthusiastic about change, never whined, were pleasant to coworkers, and were always satisfied and grateful for their pay.
The hard truth is that our workplaces are made up of real people, some of whom cause chronic problems that can result in lost productivity, employee turnover, customer complaints and low morale. Fixing it can be tough.
It requires commitment and effective management to convert these generally well-meaning but, frequently, misguided individuals.
Click
here
to read the article by Joyce Chastain, human resource consultant with The Krizner Group.
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Links
for Further Reading
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