Council awards bid for workers’ compensation broker service

SIKESTON — Sikeston City Council awarded the city workers’ compensation broker services during their regular meeting Monday, July 1 at city hall.

Carrie Burgfeld, human resources director for the City of Sikeston, said on May 22, the city put out a bid for their workers’compensation broker services and on Monday awarded the bid to Higginbotham.

“We received five bids, and of those five bids, we decided to move forward with three brokers who presented to the consultant committee,” Burgfeld said. “Those brokers were Anderson & Green, Mitchell Insurance and Higginbotham.”

Burgfeld said the broker bid process was designed to identify resources that would benefit both the city and the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities.

According to Burgfeld, bids for workers compensation broker services were accepted beginning June 12. The bid committee was made up of Burgfeld; city of Sikeston’s finance director Amanda Groves; and BMU human resources director Laura Ramsey. 

According to Burgfeld, the city has been with Newton and Company for approximately 19 years, but after opening bids, they discovered other agencies could provide them with additional services that met their requirements.

“We invited Anderson & Green, Mitchell Insurance and Higginbotham to make presentations to staff and the professional consulting committee,” Burgfeld said. “We also called references they provided that they handled workers’ compensation services. Each reference had good things to say about each broker.”

Burgfeld said on June 26, following the presentations and discussions, the professional consulting committee approved Higginbotham’s bid.

“We found that Higgonbotham has a wealth of resources, training and knowledge, especially in workers’ compensation, that would be beneficial to the City of Sikeston,” Burgfeld said. “Higginbotham has also been providing the city and BMU with training resources and sharing their knowledge for the past two years to help us improve.”

Also at the meeting, city council approved a new economic development incentive rate to be used to attract new industry or promote the expansion of existing industry.

Rick Landers, general manager of Sikeston BMU, said economic development rate expired on Dec. 31, 2023, and on June 11, the BMU Board approved a new economic development incentive rate for council consideration.

The council also approved the purchase of a new vehicle for community development. 

Berry Blevins, community development director, said at the council meeting the department is requesting approval of the funds appropriated by the approval of the 2025 fiscal year budget to purchase a new vehicle for the department’s use. The department budgeted $50,000 for the purchase.