Biloxi budget omits roughly $1 million in health insurance costs, finance staff say
BILOXI - During an Aug. 11 budget workshop the city's finance director told council members, "This budget does not include the new insurance numbers we got the other day. Only looking at plan one, we need another million dollar to cover insurance, not including lasers. We have a million-doll laser, a $550,000 laser, and a $250,000 laser." The remark came as council members were reviewing other, smaller budget items during the session.
The disclosure means the city faces additional insurance costs, on top of stop-loss exposure on separate policies, that were not built into the budget under discussion. The figures surfaced while council members were weighing far smaller expenses, including a lobbyist contract and printing costs, underscoring how a late-arriving cost of this size could reshape the budget picture if not addressed before a final vote. City officials did not immediately provide further detail on how the shortfall would be covered.