Call To Order:
President Steve Rayne called the meeting to order at 9:45.m.
Prayer: Sue Gaines Pledge of Allegiance: Sue Gaines
Recognition of Guests and Approval of Attendance: Steve Rayne
Secretary's Report and Treasurer's Report:
v Motion by Izzy Flores, 2nd by Floyd Nettles to approve the minutes as printed. Voice Vote. Motion carried.
v Motion by Bill Elkin, 2nd by Doug Bostock to suspend the regular meeting agenda to allow our guest to speak. Voice Vote. Motion Carried.
City of Houston Human Resources - Margaret Baptise and Evelyn Williams (713-837-9370)
· City has 7 Medicare plans under $100.
· Qualifications:
o Must be covered by the Medicare Parts A & B
o Must be covered by a City of Houston Medical Plan
o Some plans require retiree live in service area
o Must not have end stage renal disease. Exception is Aetna PPO and Medicare Supplement Plan F.
· HMO Plans:
o Texan Plus HMO
o Texas Health Spring
o Kelsey Care Advantage
o HMO Blue Texas
· PPO, POS Plans:
o Aetna PPO
o Kelsey Advantage POS
o Medicare Supplement Plan F
· Can return to Blue Cross on January 1st and May 1st if not satisfied with new plan.
· Can return to pervious Medicare plans after 90 days if not satisfied.
· Only sign up on City of Houston Health Plans for the best plans and coverage.
· City now offers split coverage for couples where one 65 years and the other is not 65.
Liberty Mutual Insurance - Ted Karis
· HPROA members eligible for discount on all insurance.
· When a member chooses Liberty Mutual the HPROA receives compensation.
Kelsey Care Advantage - Raymond Estrada
· 4th year in business with 13,000 members
· 1st year plan is offered through the City of Houston
· Only Member 5 Star Medicare Rating by Medicare
· Medicare patients who are already members of Kelsey Seybold may get a lower rate through the City of Houston plan.
· Patients at Kelsey received the best coordinated care without referrals.
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Member John Clinton - Candidate for Judge of Harris County Criminal Court #4:
· 3 Candidate for this position.
· He is running as a conservative Republican in the March 2, 2010 primary election and requested our support.
Paula Goodhart - Candidate for Judge of Harris County Criminal Court #1:
· Daughter of a former Pasadena Police Officer and DEA Agent.
· 14 years in the District Attorney Office hired by DA Johnny Holmes.
· Left as Felony Chief Prosecutor; handled thousands of criminal cases with over 100 jury trials.
· Taught Criminal Law at H.P.D., Harris County Sheriff's Dept., H.F.D., and Pasadena Police Dept.
· Requested support of our members.
William Frazier - Candidate for Judge of Harris County District Court #308
· Practiced mostly family law and litigation for 38 years.
· Currently Division Chief of the Family Section of the Child Protective Division in the Harris County Attorney's Office representing abused and neglected children.
· Family Civil Courts hears more cases than Civil Courts.
· Conservative Republican requesting our support.
Anthony Magdaleno - Candidate for Judge of Harris County Family District Court #311
· Practiced family law for 21 years.
· Wants to minimize stress and financial cost in his court. Promised quick hearings and fair rulings.
· Conservative Republican. Request our support as there are 5 other Republicans in the race.
· Son of Member Tony Magdaleno who retired December 2006 after 41 years.
Allen Fletcher - District 130 Representative
· Will be going to Austin in 2013. Did not have an opponent.
· Thanked HPROA for the endorsement and the PAC funds.
President - Steve Rayne
· 4 new members attending for the first time.
· First time in memory there are no dropped members this month. We currently have 1,431 thanks to Membership Chairman Floyd Nettles' hard work.
· The Houston Police Burial Fund will hold their Annual Membership Meeting immediately following.
· Member Ed Brossman passed away last night. Ed opened, set up the hall and made the coffee before each monthly meeting. Requested help from members if needed after we contact the Knights of Columbus.
Executive Director - Bill Elkin:
· Pension @ $3.03 Billion.
· 125 retired in 2009, 7 in December, 15 in January and 11 scheduled for February.
· Request City Council consider creating the ability for retirees to opt out of the City Health Care Plans during the time they are employed elsewhere. At the end of other employment the retiree could return to the City Health Care Plans. Council tagged the request for future debate. We will watch it.
· The Wounded Warrior Weekend is scheduled for May 21st. The goal is for 300 wounded military personnel to be taken on a fishing trip to Port O'Connor. The HPROA was part of a large group welcoming the Warriors at Intercontinental Airport last year. Details will be posted on the HPROA Website and in the Retired Badge.
· Notes of appreciation were received from the George LaRue family and State Representative District 133 Candidate Jim Murphy. Christmas cards were received from Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Senator Dan Patrick, Representative Dwayne Bohac, Representative Greg Abbott, Representative Beverly Woolley, and Mayor Bill White.
Treasurer's Report - Jim St.John:
· There is $269,474.39 in our accounts. Details are listed on the Balance Sheet in the handout.
Membership Chairman - Floyd Nettles:
· We have a record number of members. Please contact your friends.
Retired Badge - Nelson Zoch:
· There is a survey on the Website and in the Retired Badge for subjects of interest and suggestions to improve the paper.
· Papers are in the mail.
· Articles may be e-mailed directly to Zoch at lt2212d599@hotmail.com.
· Any member with an address change should contact HPROA Secretary Cathy Buckles at (713) 802-2967, or at cathy@hpdretired.com
Website Committee - Jim Ashby:
· 110,000 Website visitors last year.
· One of the best virus protectors is Live One Care, http://onecarelive.com, works for up to 3 computers for $50 annually. A good backup program is Carbonite, http://carbonite.com, for $55 annually which works on 1 computer.
· Keep Virus Scanners up to date. The updates are free.
· There is a place on the website for members to make changes to their address, phone number, or e-mail.
· Contact Ashby at (281) 498-3834, or at info@hproa.com, if you are having computer or e-mail problems, or have not been receiving the E-blast.
Entertainment Chairman - D. A. Miller:
· The Houston Reunion will again be held at the HPD Academy on Saturday March 13, 2010. The date change was necessary due to the police gym being remodeled.
· The Surviving Spouses' Luncheon has been moved to the April Sound Country Club, 1000 April Sound Boulevard (off Highway 105 west) due to remodeling at the Walden Yacht Club. The Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The noon meal is complimentary for surviving spouses and a guest. All others are $16.50.
· The annual HPOPS Seminar will be held later in 2010.
Family Assistance Committee - Forrest Turbeville:
· Due to health issues, the current FAC members are in need of help picking up, storing and delivering donated medical supplies.
· There are medical supplies, such as Ensure and Depends, as well as wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, etc. in the storage unit. Please contact us if you or someone you know can use these items.
· The sick and shut-in report is on the back table. Please pick one up. The oral report will cover only those added after the list was printed. Family Assistance Reports are updated on the HPROA website.
· We do not know all the sick and shut in members. Please contact a member of the Family Assistance Committee with information regarding any officer we need to contact.
o Nelson Foehner (281) 351-4669
o Delvin Kendrick (281) 482-6418
o Forrest Turbeville (713) 319-5466
Political Action Committee - Steve Rayne:
· No activity in December. January activity will be reported in February.
New Business:
· Ashby stated the location of the funeral home and a map will be on the Website until after the funeral service.
o The Guest Book will remain open for comments and will be delivered at a later date to the family.
· Zoch stated the Burial Fund will meet immediately at the close of this meeting to elect a new Board Member. Lt. James Goodman served on the Board for over 40 years and wishes to retire.
Door Prize Winners:
$50 - AL Blair
$50 - Gerald Carter
$50 - Ed Rich
$50 - Dorothy Ashby
100 Members in attendance.
Meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Sue Gaines
Board Secretary
