Library board makes emergency plan to assure insurance

If ongoing negotiations fail between United HealthCare and Corewell Health (Beaumont) before the end of the year, the Belleville Area District Library has an emergency plan to make sure its 12 full-time employees have uninterrupted health insurance in 2026.
At its regular meeting on Dec. 9, the library board voted unanimously to direct library director Mary Jo Suchy to switch the employee insurance to the Health Alliance Plan (HAP) if United HealthCare negotiations with Corewell are not successful by Dec. 15.
Suchy said the library’s health insurance agent provided the board with quotes from Health Alliance Plan and Blue Cross.
The present United HealthCare cost to the library per month is $18,026. HAP would be $18,740.28 and Blue Cross is $18,554.73. The 12 full-time employees have eight dependents, so the coverage is for 20 members.
Suchy said half of the staff members on the United HeathCare plan use Corewell Health. She said they would need to have a new plan in place by Dec. 15 for service to begin Jan. 1, but the library would have the option of backing out of a new plan should United HealthCare reach a settlement.
When Suchy was asked if they expected a settlement, she replied, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
She said Health Alliance has the most reasonable plan of the two options.
In other business at the one-hour-and-seven-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved the 2026 regular board meeting dates and the 2026 library closure dates. The board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.;
• Heard Suchy say she would like the library attorney to look at the present library bylaws in January to see if some of the wording needs updating. The board was in support of updates;
• Received forms to fill out for the annual evaluation of the library director, which need to be back to the personnel committee by Jan. 5, so the results can be considered at the next meeting on Jan.13;
• Learned Kone Elevator was out as scheduled to perform the required CAT5 elevator test, but they did not have the proper tool which had to be ordered, so they have rescheduled. Suchy said Kone has been very communicative with the library about the whole process;
• Was informed O’Neal Construction is working on a proposal to update the flagpole lights with lights that will be located on the side of the building. The sidewalk up-lights have proven to be unworkable, Suchy said. Joy Cichewicz said if they ever build another library, don’t put the lights in the ground. She said that didn’t work at the Ypsilanti library, either. Chairperson Sharon Peters said of all the things they have dealt with in building the library, this is the problem that has persisted;
• Heard Suchy say the library’s annual audit is under way and will be reviewed at the January meeting;
• Was told a special family movie event is scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 27. Participants can watch “A Minecraft Movie” (rated PG), enjoy some popcorn, and work on a craft related to the movie; and
• Heard chairperson Peters say she was inside the library on Saturday at Winterfest and everyone enjoyed the hot cocoa, cookies, and the movie running in the background in the room open for Santa. The rest of the library closed at 6 p.m. She said from 7 to 9 p.m., the children were with Santa and then at 9 p.m. she was able to watch the fireworks from the windows in the library. Suchy estimated there were about 250 people in line for Santa after the parade.