DARTMOUTH Dartmouth Fire District No. 3's Prudential Committee will consider a monthly funding rate increase for the Mayflower Municipal Health Group's retiree Medicare supplement plan with prescription drug coverage on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The plan is one of two substantive financial items on the committee's agenda, alongside a review of the district's fiscal 2026 investments.
The current total monthly funding rate for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Retiree Medicare Supplement Plan is $502 for calendar 2026. At that rate, 12 months of plan funding totals $6,024 before any district or retiree share is applied.
Total rate and retiree payment are separate
The total plan rate is not necessarily the amount an individual retiree pays. Each governmental unit in the Mayflower group determines the employee or retiree share for its own members. A retiree's monthly payment therefore cannot be calculated from the $502 total rate alone.
The fiscal 2027 rate sheet carrying the $502 figure was voted March 11. It lists the retiree plan under calendar 2026 rates, separately from the fiscal 2027 rates for active employee coverage. Retired Medicare subscribers and members covered on their plans must maintain Medicare Part A and Part B enrollment and pay any income-related monthly adjustment amounts required for their Mayflower coverage.
The Prudential Committee previously took up Mayflower's fiscal 2027 funding rates at its March 24 meeting, when its annual budget work was also before the panel. The new October item calls for review of a monthly funding rate increase for the retiree plan with a prescription drug plan, commonly abbreviated as PDP.
Investment review and meeting details
Michelle Newcomb, an investment advisor and managing director in Bartholomew & Company's Government and Institutional Division, will present the fiscal 2026 review. The committee will also receive capital improvement updates and act on routine monthly financial reports, including cash receipts, disbursements, payroll warrants and bank reconciliations.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in Room 120 at district headquarters, 140 Cross Road. The three members listed for the meeting are Chairman Jules Gauthier Jr., Timothy M. Sheehan and Andrew A. Lafferty III. Scheduling the next committee meeting and approving the Sept. 22 minutes are the first general business items.
Residents with questions for the district can call its business line at 508-994-6761. The district's main station and mailing address are the same 140 Cross Road location where the committee will meet.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
How we verified this
Every fact comes from the Dartmouth Fire District No. 3 agenda and calendar, Mayflower Municipal Health Group's own rate documents, and the district's contact page. We read them on Oct. 22, 2026, shortly after midnight EDT. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Oct. 27, 2026 is a Tuesday, and March 24, 2026 is a Tuesday. The annualized figure was recomputed as $502 times 12, or $6,024. No other news outlet is a source for this story. Not heard: the district was not contacted before drafting; a request for the proposed new rate, effective date, retiree share and a higher-resolution headquarters photo was queued for the Kimi Work desk.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (6)
- Dartmouth Fire District No. 3 Prudential Committee agenda, Oct. 27, 2026Posted Oct. 21, 2026, 2:40 p.m. Retiree Medicare Supplement Plan with PDP monthly funding rate increase; fiscal 2026 review by Michelle Newcomb of Bartholomew & Company; capital improvement and monthly financial items; committee members. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Dartmouth Fire District No. 3 Prudential Committee calendar entryTuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, 5:30 p.m., 140 Cross Road, Room 120. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Mayflower Municipal Health Group fiscal 2027 monthly funding ratesVoted March 11, 2026. Blue Cross Blue Shield Retiree Medicare Supplement Plan, calendar 2026 individual total monthly rate $502; Medicare Part A and Part B and IRMAA requirements. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Mayflower Municipal Health Group rates informationRates are total monthly plan costs; each governmental unit determines the employee or retiree share. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Dartmouth Fire District No. 3 Prudential Committee agenda, March 24, 2026Fiscal 2027 annual budget and Mayflower Municipal Health Group fiscal 2027 funding rates. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
- Dartmouth Fire District No. 3 contact pageMain station and mailing address, 140 Cross Road; business line 508-994-6761. Read Oct. 22, 2026.