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Editorials
While well-meaning activist Kevin Gaughan runs around advocating downsizing municipal governments to save taxpayers money, he fails to mention the savings that can be had by doing away with the generous health insurance premiums and/or buyouts part-time elected officials receive.
WGRZ-TV ran a segment last night featuring Lancaster Councilmember Dan Amatura’s recent resolution proposal to do away with a practice that pays board members not to use the town's health insurance coverage.
Currently, board members can opt to receive a health insurance buyout of $6,700 if they have insurance from an outside source.
Amatura informed reporter Addie Bradshaw that although a resolution was passed in 1989 that permitted town employees to use the insurance buyout option, there was never a resolution passed to permit elected officials from exercising the same option.
Amatura proposed a resolution at the recent Lancaster Town Board meeting that would end the practice of town elected officials receiving yearly health insurance buyout stipends should they have insurance from another source.
Amatura’s resolution also contained language that stated that it would be in the best interest of the taxpayers to have a provision whereby elected officials would not be eligible for town health insurance if they already had an outside plan.
"It was never meant to be as a buyout. It was meant to be if an elected official needed health insurance and they weren't able to get it from an outside source--or if they were getting it from an outside source at their own expense--it was offered to them to take, but it was never meant to be a buyout," Amatura said.
Right now, Amatura is the only board member to use the town plan. Ron Ruffino, Donna Stempniak, and John Abraham, Jr. take the buyback. Amatura said he accepted the buyback for three years before deciding town code never intended for it to work that way.
"Was there ever a thought of 'I have my own insurance? I don't want to cost the town anymore money, I'm not going to take the buyback?" reporter Addie Bradshaw asked.
After stating that he pays a “pretty nice premium” Ruffino declared that taking the insurance could cost the taxpayers more in that he and others on the board would consider taking it and not having to pay a premium. "I don't think that's fair," Ruffino said. "It's a tax burden for the taxpayers."
Member Donna Stempniak agreed. She and Ruffino both believe the solution could be to do away with taxpayer-funded benefits for part-time board members altogether.
"If we cut it out altogether and people do want the health insurance...then they would have to pay for it themselves," Ruffino said.
When asked if he would accept that possible solution, Amatura said he would be fine with it. "As long as it's equal," he said.
Comments
Pretty neat the way three board members turned Amatura’s proposition around to bite him. As he has no outside insurance coverage, he will now have to pay to get it. Ruffino gets insurance through the bank he works at and Abraham and Stempniak get outside coverage through the school system.
Regardless, it’s a good day for taxpayers. When 48 million Americans are uninsured, when President –elect Barack Obama promises to work to get insurance for all, when municipalities are looking to get insurance concessions from the public sector, the double-dipping by elected officials who have been scamming us for some time may come to an end.
That said, Lancaster pales in comparison to some towns that pay half as much more for part-time elected officials that have lifetime health insurance premiums and like buyout options - like Cheektowaga.
Hopefully, Amatura has opened a can of worms and taxpayers start seeing the perks municipal government elected officials, and town employees as well, receive and start reform practices and act more fiscally responsible.
We can no longer afford the government we now have in place.
© Copyright 2008 by Speakupwny.com
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