Board tweaks insurance plan with budget OK

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Last-minute changes in the fire department pay scale and thedependent insurance were on the agenda at Monday night’s board ofaldermen approved the overall budget for the next fiscal year thatstarts next month.

The budget comes to $11.1 million and includes funding forannexation-related expenses, employee raises, payment on a bondissue for a new business park and a number of routine costs. Thebudget for the current fiscal year is $10.9 million.

During the last night’s meeting, Mayor Bob Massengill appealedto the board to reconsider the dependent insurance coverage numbersset at previous meetings, when aldermen voted for employees toabsorb 50 percent of the dependent costs.

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“I’m concerned about the burden being placed on the employeeswith dependent coverage,” said Massengill.

The mayor pointed out that under the plan, even with raises, 42city employees would actually be taking home less money in thecoming year than they did last year.

The board decided to only ask employees to shoulder 40 percentof the burden.

Massengill said the board can develop a plan to reduce what thecity pays over several years.

“I know what you were thinking is that we were giving bigraises, so we could do a big jump in insurance,” the mayor said.”But the bottom line is that with the $240,000 in savings with thenew plan and knowing the above facts, I hope you would consider the40 percent instead of 50 percent, which is still a tremendousincrease.”

Massengill pointed out that it would save city employees ondependent coverage $877 a year.

“Yeah, it will cost us $800 an employee, but that’s nowhere nearthe money we saved,” said Massengill.

The board also voted to move the dental, short-term disability,and life insurance coverage to Assurant, with the city continuingto shoulder the burden on all those for city employees, and leavingthe dependent dental price at $25 a month.

Aldermen also worked to even out the police and firedepartments’ pay scales so the two would be more comparable to eachother, as well as to other cities. Under the previous plan,firefighters not receiving promotions would have a pay raise atthree years of service and five years, while police would have araise at five years and 10 years.

“It’s hard to explain to a man who has been with the city thesame amount of time in a first response-type position why it’suneven,” said Massengill.

Massengill asked the board to consider either moving the firescale to meet the police scale or the police scale to meet the firescale.

Fire Chief Bob Watts had requested for the fire department tohave a pay raise at three years and four years instead of three andfive. After consideration, the aldermen voted in spite of Watts’request to change the fire department scale to five years and 10years.

After five, members of both departments will make $28,000. After10 years, they will make $31,000 if there is no promotion. The movewas designed to reward longevity with the city.

“If you put it at three and five, then someone with five yearsand 15 years will make the same amount of money,” said Alderman atlarge Les Bumgarner.

The salaries by rank will remain unchanged, with the exceptionof both departments starting certified employees at $26,500 insteadof the previously proposed $26,000.

The board unanimously approved the change, with Ward FiveAlderman D.W. Maxwell abstaining from the vote.