Before a standing-room-only crowd of city workers during last Monday's Council meeting, Councilman Rick Kingrea said due to the ongoing national recession/economic downturn, the city could no longer afford to pay the total cost (100%) of its employees' health care premiums--and still avoid layoffs.
Kingrea said a memo (written "on city time, on city paper") sent to all employees urging they turn out to the meeting to object, was full of exaggerations and factual errors--and that most of the proposed changes won't take effect until Oct. 2011 anyway.
Kingrea: "There's a lot of time to see if we can come up with a better plan. The alternative was we could lay off people or save jobs and let folks pay a very small portion of their health insurance."
Kingrea restated an earlier remark that his main responsibility was to the city's citizens: "Council's first obligation is not to employees, its to the citizens of Fairhope."
". . . come up with better ideas, it can change. Open to better ideas."
Council President Mixon said that fully 1/3 of the city's $53 million annual budget goes to salaries and benefits.
Kingrea said a memo (written "on city time, on city paper") sent to all employees urging they turn out to the meeting to object, was full of exaggerations and factual errors--and that most of the proposed changes won't take effect until Oct. 2011 anyway.
Kingrea: "There's a lot of time to see if we can come up with a better plan. The alternative was we could lay off people or save jobs and let folks pay a very small portion of their health insurance."
Kingrea restated an earlier remark that his main responsibility was to the city's citizens: "Council's first obligation is not to employees, its to the citizens of Fairhope."
". . . come up with better ideas, it can change. Open to better ideas."
Council President Mixon said that fully 1/3 of the city's $53 million annual budget goes to salaries and benefits.
Comments