City Clerk and City Manager On the Council's Agenda

The Rockville City Council meets tonight to tackle several holdovers from last week’s agenda, including the appointment of an acting city clerk, a contract for a search firm to find a new city manager and a discussion of a draft plan on cultural and entertainment programming.

The at and will be broadcast live on Rockville 11.

The council’s consent agenda includes a recommendation by city staff to replace one of the city’s health insurance carriers, CareFirst, with CIGNA. The change would take effect Jan. 1.

CareFirst offers Health Maintenance Organization and HMO Open Access plans, but has refused to offer out-of-network plans requested by some employees unless the city names CareFirst its sole insurance carrier, according to a staff report. Such a move would require the city to cancel a contract with Kaiser Permanente, which covers 110 employees and retirees, the report said. CIGNA also would allow the city to offer other plans.

CareFirst costs the city almost $3 million a year. “Based on current participation levels, the City will not incur additional costs by utilizing CIGNA as its health insurance carrier,” the report said.

The consent agenda includes a resolution naming Deputy City Clerk Brenda F. Bean as acting city clerk. . She has been on administrative leave since then. Her resignation is effective Oct. 19.

The council also is scheduled to discuss the city clerk position.

The consent agenda also includes a staff recommendation to move $165,000 from the city’s housing rehabilitation program to Rockville Housing Enterprises in order to renovate 18 units at the David Scull Courts apartments.

The council is scheduled to vote on recommendation by city staff that the council award a $20,800 contract to Springsted, Inc. to conduct a search for a new city manager.

John A. Anzivino, a senior vice president with Springsted, presented the firm’s proposal for a city manager search to the council on Sept. 26. .

The council is scheduled to hear a presentation on a draft of the city’s Culture and Entertainment Plan, which aims to set goals for cultural programs and entertainment and make Rockville a “cultural destination.”

The council also is expected to vote on the Cultural Arts Commission recommendations to commission sculptures at the Rockville Senior Center and at the Gude Drive Maintenance Facility and to reject the submissions for an art project for .