Becker Says Nix Health Insurance

Presents Resolution Would Raise Supervisor Salaries, End Free Healthcare

By Martha E. Conway

Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman John M. Becker presented a surprise resolution during day three of annual session Tuesday Nov. 24. Becker said the proposition was in response to all the contention surrounding members of the Board of Supervisors voting themselves a 3-percent raise Nov. 9.

“I’ll start the discussion on this,” Becker said. “There’s been a lot of talk about our benefits and how the raises were handled for the Board of Supervisors. I thought about it for quite a while, and I spoke to some supervisors about this. I am proposing we move the salary for supervisors to $20,000 a year and do away with health insurance.”

Becker said supervisors wishing to keep their health insurance benefits through the county would then have to buy them back at a cost of about $13,000 a year. He said the move would save taxpayers about $45,000 the first year.

“After the next class of supervisors that are coming in, Cazenovia, Georgetown, Hamilton and Nelson, they will be the last ones to receive the 10-year provision for free lifetime health insurance,” Becker said. “They will receive it, but it will be phased out for the supervisors.”

Becker said supervisors could discuss the matter on the spot.

“But I suggest we table this resolution for people to really think about it,” Becker said. “On the last page, you will notice that if this plan goes into effect, this is what it will cost you.

When fully implemented, the transition would save the county a little more than $100,000 annually.

Supervisor Alexander Stepanski (R – Stockbridge) moved to table the resolution; Stepanski’s motion was seconded by Supervisor John Salka (R,C,I – Brookfield).

The matter will be first up on the agenda on day four of annual session Dec. 4.

One Comment on "Becker Says Nix Health Insurance"

Honna Bowen on Sat, 28th Nov 2009 9:28 am

This is nothing more than a SHELL GAME: moving a short term $45,000 savings into a retirement package that will cost the TAXPAYERS $100,000′s over the life of the SUPERVISORS’ retirement under an outrageously generous NYS EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEM – The pensions received by State and Local government employees under the NYS System are 100% sheltered from NY State taxes THEY WILL NOT PAY TAX NYS TAX ON THEIR RETIREMENT INCOME RECEIVED UNDER THIS PROGRAM – AND they don’t have to pay NYS tax on the next $20,000 of pension income from their PRIVATE retirement plans … these are just the freebees that legislators all over the country are helping themselves to….the health benefits are no real “give back” — most have full time jobs and spouses with coverage…they all took it because it was FREE… so they’ll keep that $12,000 and pick up another $8,000 and a lush retirement plan… And they don’t pay any NYS tax on their pension benefits under the Retirement System….and they complain about the Oneida Nation!?..These are PART-TIME JOBS with better than FULL TIME BENEFITS. The RIGHT THING TO DO: give back the health benefit with NO TRADE OFF’s… or require contribution to the current plan.

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Becker Says Nix Health Insurance

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