By Sarah Opdahl

At a special meeting of New Fairfield’s Board of Finance (BOF) on Tuesday, March 11, BOF Alternate Ms. Peggy Katkocin, was voted in as a full voting member, following Ms. Cheryl Reedy’s resignation the previous week. Katkocin has a long history in Town public service, both in posts as First Selectman and on various boards, including Board of Education Chair when the new school building referendum was held.

Mr. Wes Marsh nominated Katkocin, asking if she was interested in the post, to which she replied, “of course, especially at this time of year, in the midst of budget, I think it is important to have continuity.” Mr. Patrick Hearty also nominated Ms. Jessica Sanchez, who has raised a hand in several recents openings and will likely do so for the open alternate position which was created by  elevating Katkocin. Ms. Claudia Willard questioned the possibility of running an ad for the open position rather than hastily voting at the meeting but fellow members forged ahead.

In a second special meeting on the same evening, the BOF pondered the pros and cons of joining a medical group co-operative—currently serving seven towns and amounting to 1,400 employees/3,000 members with family members included—which is aimed at pooling members to better hedge against rising costs in medical and prescription claims. BOF members are continuing to process the news that the renewal price for Anthem has increased by over $1M dollar. There’s a renewal price quote of $8,968,870 from Anthem, which will be decreased by over $1M when you add in other factors, such as employee contributions. The medical projection for the end of this fiscal year is an underfunding of approximately $1.2M, the total of which roughly equals the amount the Town’s consultant Mr. Tom Kowalchik proposed should be budgeted last year but was cut in the budget process.

Given the decrease in the Town’s medical reserve funding, Kowalchik, who has worked closely with the Town since 2017, suggested the possibility of joining the co-operative, which he has spearheaded for municipalities and school districts that are in similar straits. BOF members continue  to investigate the possibilities of joining the co-op, by meeting current members on a Zoom, asking for additional contact information, pouring over the by-laws for the group, and speaking with internal constituents in the Boards of Selectmen and Education. Two internal Town representatives would need to attend monthly meetings of the co-operative if the Town decides to move forward.

The co-op is joined by invitation only and New Fairfield was extended the opportunity to join following a brief review period. The advantage for the co-op is that they receive New Fairfield’s rebates, which can add up to a large amount of money. Cautious to enter into a bonding agreement, following two dozen years as a self-insured town, BOF members questioned the penalties for leaving if it is not working for NF or what would happen if the co-operative dissolved, and they were reassured on both scores. Kowalchik clarified that the group would follow the same processes of review for best prices among the major medical carriers. He also clarified that there are no  additional charges for legal or conference travel for co-operative consultants. There was a brief discussion about possibly putting out a Request for Proposal for other consultants to determine if there is  a better plan for the Town, but BOF members agreed that they would not do this.