Village adds change to employee health coverage
WELLSVILLE — Health insurance for village employees will be different as council this week approved changes for its police personnel.
During Tuesday’s meeting, village council approved an ordinance that established wages and other conditions of employment for full-time police officers in the village, with those conditions pertaining to changes in health insurance coverage.
According to village solicitor Dominic Frank, the ordinance stated the village will offer health insurance to employees only, while spouses can receive hospitalization at the cost of the employee.
“The employees’ dependents, at the discretion of the employee and at their cost, can also purchase for family members or dependents depending on what council is doing, and your insurance carrier,” Frank said. “So basically, you’re just paying for the single plan now. The employee has to pay for anything above that.”
Mayor Nancy Murray said it cost each employee $2,200 monthly for health insurance, and that the village is saving $80,000 annually.
Frank also reported future ordinances will be presented to council, which also will include the fire department and non-safety employees, including the fiscal officer and mayor’s secretary.
In other business, council approved the latest list of invoices, which totaled $23,706.68.
The breakdown consisted of only four invoices, with the bulk of the money going to Allison Contracting LLC for rebuilding a sewage pump at pump station no. 1, at a price of $22,002.45. The other three invoices were for Carquest for oil, spark plugs and filters for trimmers and mowers, costing $88.64; Lash Paving for cold patch for potholes for $1,400; and Pytash for parts to service two Kubota mowers, costing $215.59.
Councilman John Morrow read the invoices for fiscal officer Hoi Black, who was absent from Tuesday’s session. Jennifer Soldano, the Mayor’s secretary, filled in for Black in recording the meeting’s minutes.
Morrow also discussed the Finance Committee meeting, held earlier in the day, to which he stated the village has paid $42,000 in expenses so far in March of the $76,000 allowed by the state, and had $23,000 remaining in the month. Morrow stated by the end of the month, the village is expected to have a remaining balance of $10,000.
“Hoi, the mayor, council, we’re all talking to bring these accounts out of deficit, and we’re keeping these bills under the 85 percent cap, which is phenomenal,” Morrow said.
Bringing the cemetery funds out of deficit was mentioned by Morrow and will be discussed during the village’s next Financial Planning and Supervision Commission meeting, scheduled 2 p.m. Monday.
Morrow said the Finance Committee will now hold meetings every other week and/or the same day as the village council meeting. Prior to Tuesday, the committee had met every Tuesday morning.
The next Finance Committee meeting is 11 a.m. April 3, while village council will hold its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. that same day. Both meetings are at Village Hall.