Legislature Keeps Health Insurance Option, Votes For Commission
27 03 08 - 11:40
By Dennis Phillips dphillips@post-journal.com
3/27/2008 - MAYVILLE - By two votes of 14 to 11, the County Legislature voted to approve the formation of a salary review commission and once again defeated a proposal to eliminate its health insurance option.
During the legislature's regular meeting Wednesday in Mayville, the group first voted on the local law proposed by Dr. Rudy Mueller, D-Lakewood, to eliminate the option for health insurance for legislators again because it was also accompanied with another local law to increase their salaries by $3,000 - from $9,000 to $12,000. Mueller said, earlier this month, the proposals would allow legislators to buy into the the county's health insurance policy, paying 100 percent instead of 15 percent. He said the move would save taxpayers $75,000 and would stabilize the budget.
The only discussion during the proposal was from Brian Abram, R-Sinclairville, who said even though he supported eliminating the health insurance option last month, he would not be approving the proposal again because he believes in the formation of the salary review commission to look over benefit packages of all elected county officials.
Once the proposal for the elimination of the health insurance option was defeated, Mueller withdrew his second proposal to increase legislators salaries.
During the resolution for the salary review commission, the legislature held no discussion on the issue. After the meeting Fred Croscut, R-Sherman and minority leader who proposed the idea for the commission, said there was no discussion because the idea had been debated plenty before the vote.
"Discussion was over and it was time to vote," he said.
Croscut said he was excited the commission will be forming and pledged he will be willing to support the group's recommendations, which has been a criticism of the legislature because it didn't support recommendations from the 2001 and 2004 commissions.
"I plan to react to the recommendations and support them," he said. "If the recommendation is a change in health insurance, then I plan to support it."
Keith Ahlstrom, D-Dunkirk and legislative chairman, said he was disappointed the proposal to eliminate health insurance failed and the salary review commission was approved. However, he said he was not surprised that was the outcome. Ahlstrom also said he disapproves with how the committee was selected, saying there are too many former legislators on the committee.
"We needed more of a representation of the taxpayers than good old boys of the legislature," he said referring to four former legislators being appointed to the committee. "A citizen's committee is suppose to support public opinion."