On behalf of the some 900 retirees from the city of Chattanooga, I would like to publicly thank the members of the Chattanooga City Council for reversing their decision about the retirees insurance provider. We would also like to thank the staff that worked diligently to make sure that we could continue with our current coverage.
We would also like to plead with the council to enact measures that will prevent something like this from happening in the future. The fact is that some retirees began being suspicious as far back as September, when they normally are required to attend insurance enrollment meetings. When they inquired, responses were given that gave them reason to believe that there was change afloat.
This change was not made overnight. We understand that due to proprietary issues, some RFP and bid procedures must be kept secret. However, results like this beg for a more transparent process. The scoring process used in this procedure is not without fault and at the very least leaves open the possibility for question. We ask that the city attorney look into the issue and address the lack of transparency.
Again, thank you to the City Council, the staff and to all the retirees that have supported this undertaking.
Vince Dean
Retired Chattanooga Police Department