Jackson's city workforce gets its 2027 benefits package decided Tuesday night, and the paperwork shows the city is both renewing its life insurance and handing off administration of a tax-advantaged benefits account to a new vendor.

Item 18 on the Sept. 22 regular meeting agenda authorizes the mayor to execute a policy renewal with MetLife for group life and accidental death and dismemberment coverage for active and retired city employees in the self-funded health plan, for the period Jan. 1, 2027 through Dec. 31, 2027. Item 19 authorizes an administrative services agreement with 3P Benefits Solutions, LLC to run a cafeteria plan under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code.

The two items are sponsored by Toya Martin, the director of human resources, and John Horhn, the mayor. The agenda does not state a dollar amount for either contract, which is itself the detail worth watching: the council is being asked to approve a year of insurance and a new plan administrator without a published premium figure in the packet.

A Section 125 cafeteria plan is the mechanism that lets employees pay for health premiums and dependent care with pre-tax dollars. Moving administration to a new vendor touches every participating employee's paycheck, and it is the kind of back-office contract that rarely draws a public hearing. The city has run a self-funded health plan, meaning it pays claims out of its own fund rather than buying fully insured coverage, so the MetLife renewal is a stop-loss and life layer on top of that structure.

The same agenda also rewrites the price of throwing things away. Item 10 introduces an ordinance amending the solid waste facility disposal fees in Section 106-148 of the city code, sponsored by Lorenzo Anderson, the public works director, and Horhn. The Wire reported two weeks ago that the city was moving to rewrite its solid waste disposal fees after passing a budget; Tuesday's meeting is where the actual ordinance language lands.

Land is on the block too. Item 20 declares parcels 70-79, 110-24 and 110-25 surplus, accepts the bids of Wil-Mat Investments, LLC, and authorizes conveyance by quitclaim deed to that company. A quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the city holds and carries no warranty of title, which is standard for surplus municipal property but also means the buyer takes the title risk.

The agenda pairs that sale with routine spending that adds up. Item 3 ratifies a 48-month rental of a Lexmark XC4342 copier for the Municipal Court services division at $70 a month, billed at 1.2 cents per black-and-white page and 6.4 cents per color page. Item 4 authorizes a 60-month rental of a Pitney Bowes SendPro P2000 postage machine for the treasury division.

Two Verizon Wireless items extend the city's tower leases. Items 5 and 6 amend antenna site license agreements with Alltel Corporation, doing business as Verizon Wireless, at Tower Site #2 on Riverside Drive and Tower Site #13 at 1921 West Northside Drive, modifying equipment, extending terms and updating the licensee's notice address. The city is the landlord on those sites, so the amendments are recurring revenue, not a cost.

Public works gets a smaller line item with a specific number attached. Item 21 authorizes payment to Entergy Mississippi, LLC to raise an electric power line that conflicts with a mast arm being erected under the Traffic Signal Group B improvements project. Item 22 amends the order accepting Hemphill Construction Company's bid for the Shaw Road Bridge Rehabilitation Project to correct the award amount, a correction that suggests the original figure in the record was wrong.

The council also fills three Planning Board seats Tuesday. Items 14 through 16 confirm the mayor's appointments of Vanessa Gray for Ward 4, Hosea Hines for Ward 6 and James Shoulders, also for Ward 4. The Planning Board is the body that first hears rezoning and site plan requests, including the data center questions the Wire has been tracking, so the composition of that board matters beyond the wards involved.

The meeting notice, posted at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, and noticed to members at 9:43 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14, lists the mayor as John Horhn and Vernon Hartley as council president. The agenda also carries a resolution, item 23, supporting the city's agreement with Municipal Intercept Company, LLC for collection of unpaid debts under the Local Government Debt Collection Setoff Act, the private debt collector contract the Wire reported on previously.

What's next: the council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22 in Council Chambers at 219 S. President St., with a zoning meeting at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21. Watch whether the MetLife renewal and the 3P Benefits contract come with dollar figures when the orders are read, and whether any member pulls the solid waste fee ordinance off the consent track for separate debate. Chief Financial Officer Jillian Caldwell and Human Resources Director Toya Martin are the officials who would have the premium and administrative cost numbers; neither figure appears in the posted agenda.

The surplus parcel sale to Wil-Mat Investments is the other item to track, because a quitclaim conveyance sets the price and the buyer in one vote with no further council action required. If the council wants the terms on the record, Tuesday is the only scheduled chance before the deeds are signed.