Nesquehoning officials have chosen a new insurance broker to handle employee health care in 2017.

On Wednesday, borough council voted 5-1 to hire Equinox as the borough's new insurance broker. Councilman David DeMelfi voted against the measure, while Councilman George Sabol was absent.The current contract with broker Benecon Health Insurance Cooperative expires Dec. 31.Rosemary Porembo, chairwoman of the personnel/safety committee, said that after the committee met with four brokers, the members felt Equinox would provide the best customer service.Council now plans to meet with Equinox to determine the best plan for the borough employees. Officials said they plan to go to a Highmark plan by Dec. 1, but no other details have been released at this time.Nesquehoning has been looking at changing employee health coverage carriers since last year, when the cost of health care coverage continued to rise.In June, council voted to send a letter to Benecon, notifying it of the borough's intent to possibly terminate their contract at the end of the year.In other matters, council voted to hire Diversified Technologies to provide online billing services for the town's sanitation and sewer bills.Once set up, residents will have the option to pay those bills online using a credit card or online bill pay, in addition to paying in the office. Payments can also be scheduled online to pay monthly or as one-time payments."It seems like a win-win," Porembo told the board.The cost to the borough for setting up the service is $750 with an additional $15 per month for processing and 13 cents per check processed.