I have intentionally avoided saying anything about the candidates who are running for mayor in Wentzville and I'm trying very hard to stay neutral. Only one of the candidates is seriously troubling; the incumbent Paul Lambi, whom I firmly believe needs to get an eight to five job and get out of politics altogether. At the November 2nd regular session of the board of aldermen something happened that confused me, but that's easy to believe about a guy who can hide his own Easter Holiday eggs.
Before starting, I originally thought the meeting was a work session so I arrived at city hall before 6:00 pm to find I was one of the first to show. Soon after I realized it was a regular meeting that didn't start until 6:30 pm, I could have slept for another half-hour which most definitely agitated my otherwise genteel disposition. As citizens and staff began to file in I noticed the large number of employees taking seats in the chambers, it was almost standing room only. Something was up, what the hell did I miss this time?
I will lay out the facts as I heard them and leave it up to you to decide. I will also try to explain the situation as concisely as I possibly can to keep you from falling asleep, which I almost did; just writing this has me nodding off again. Oh well here goes: If you are a regular reader you know that the aldermen have cut the 2012 budget by a half-million tax dollars and in doing so, employee benefits had to come under scrutiny. It soon became apparent why so many city employees were in attendance. It must be kept in mind that 65 percent of the general fund goes directly to salaries and benefits for Wentzville employees which adds up to nine million of our tax dollars.
With such a crowd I thought it strange during "Open Forum" that no one in the audience stood up to say anything. Then I knew they were there to hear something that I wasn't sure about. The discussion under "New Business" went into a presentation regarding employee insurance where several alternatives were offered, one of which was to implement an employee co pay increase. As health, dental, and vision benefits are free for employee spouses and their families it was thought that a co pay increase would help offset the $130,000 increase in employee health insurance premiums paid by the city using tax dollars. It was stated that Wentzville's employee benefit package is the most attractive in the county. It was also said that citizens in the private sector have co pays so it shouldn't be an undue hardship for city employees to share in the premium increase and not place that burden on taxpayers.
Aldermen Nick Guccione and Vann Sample vehemently opposed any co pay increase to employees. Interestingly, during the discussion, Alderman Nick Guccione announced that he had invited the employees to come to the meeting and listen in on the proceedings. Even more interesting, Guccione compromised on this matter after a mini filibuster to institute a co pay increase during the October 19th work session. I don't know what changed his mind but I do disagree with the way he invited employees to spring the news on the other aldermen. Of course, Mayor Lambi agreed with Guccione and Sample, jumping in with both feet and smiling from ear to ear the whole time.
There are several ways to look at this situation so I'll leave it up to you to interpret the facts as they are. Guccione denies compromising to allow a co pay increase and I encourage readers to watch the video http://www.wentzvillemo.org/ of the October 19th work session to assess the truth of this statement for yourselves. But the question remains; why did he invite the city employees? I would also be interested to know how many of my readers have free health, dental, and vision care? And as always, I invite your comments.
With such a crowd I thought it strange during "Open Forum" that no one in the audience stood up to say anything. Then I knew they were there to hear something that I wasn't sure about. The discussion under "New Business" went into a presentation regarding employee insurance where several alternatives were offered, one of which was to implement an employee co pay increase. As health, dental, and vision benefits are free for employee spouses and their families it was thought that a co pay increase would help offset the $130,000 increase in employee health insurance premiums paid by the city using tax dollars. It was stated that Wentzville's employee benefit package is the most attractive in the county. It was also said that citizens in the private sector have co pays so it shouldn't be an undue hardship for city employees to share in the premium increase and not place that burden on taxpayers.
Aldermen Nick Guccione and Vann Sample vehemently opposed any co pay increase to employees. Interestingly, during the discussion, Alderman Nick Guccione announced that he had invited the employees to come to the meeting and listen in on the proceedings. Even more interesting, Guccione compromised on this matter after a mini filibuster to institute a co pay increase during the October 19th work session. I don't know what changed his mind but I do disagree with the way he invited employees to spring the news on the other aldermen. Of course, Mayor Lambi agreed with Guccione and Sample, jumping in with both feet and smiling from ear to ear the whole time.
There are several ways to look at this situation so I'll leave it up to you to interpret the facts as they are. Guccione denies compromising to allow a co pay increase and I encourage readers to watch the video http://www.wentzvillemo.org/ of the October 19th work session to assess the truth of this statement for yourselves. But the question remains; why did he invite the city employees? I would also be interested to know how many of my readers have free health, dental, and vision care? And as always, I invite your comments.
As a business person in Wentzville, I know that a business would be out of business if 65 percent of its revenues went for salaries and benefits, the correct percentage to stay in business is near 40. It sounds like the city is trying to catch up with the United States Postal Service which is running at 80 percent. Why are Guccione and Sample running with Lambi on this deal? I'm thinking they're three peas in the same pod, now that's a fairly dangerous and disgusting thought!
ReplyDeleteFree health, dental, and vision? FREE?? I pay $785/mo. for me and my wife, and that's WITH a $2,000 deductible. Being as we generally have to pay out most of our deductible in medical expenses throughout the year, we end up forking out over $12,000.00 a year. Is the City of Wentzville hiring by any chance?
ReplyDeleteI thought my aldermen were elected by us to represent the taxpayers not the city employees? My alderman of ward 3 just lost my vote and I don't ever want him to become mayor. I would like to know how many city employees quit to go elsewhere, that number is very important when determining if the city is giving too much.
ReplyDeleteJust want to clarify something. As am employee of the City of Wentzville, I know a little bit about our insurance. For one, we do have copays - all of which were increased last year. On average, I pay $135 per month on copays for my medications. Doctor visits are not included in that amount and we do pay copays for doctor visits. ER visits were increased last year from $75 to $200 - I am aware of this because I have an infant who has been to the ER recently! LOL Additionally, employees pay a very small amount for health insurance for family coverage. I am not sure what all of the amounts are but for me and one child (my other one is covered under a different insurance), I pay $10 per month. Don't get me wrong, I know that is more than fair and I am grateful for it! I am not aware of what other municipalities are doing in the county, nor am I aware of what other businesses are doing. What I do know is that we are very fortuante in this regard and I am thankful. Here is my other comment. There are many individuals working for the city that are paid well below the amount that similar positions are paid in private businesses. As in any organization, I think you need to pay well and provide attractive benefit packages to both retain and gain quality employees. The city, and all organizations, should be looking at other wasteful spending and first trying to cut there. Additionally, if there are positions that need to be cut because they are no longer needed, then they should be rather than making employment for the required positions less attractive. Again, I want to reiterate - I am NOT complaining. We do indeed have a very generous benefit package and I am very grateful for it. Just wanted to set the record staright on the co-pays and also ask that people consider other alternatives to automatically targeting employee salaries and or benefits.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to make a comment on the insurance matter. I am an employee of the city and would like to chime in. Yes we have a attractive benefit package, however not all of the facts listed in this artical are correct. We do have co-pays which have increased over the last two years. We also do not get vision for free. It is optional and payed by the employee. A large amount of employees are related to the police department. Since we are being compared in this artical to the private sector, I would like to make a comment to place some perspective in the situation. Yes we do have an attractive benefit package, but how many people in the private sector walk into situations where their lives are in danger every single day? I have never complained about fulfilling service to the citizens in the private sector, which might include placing my life in danger to protect theirs. Getting shot, assaulted, struck on the highway by a drunk while assisting motorists, injured during a pursuit are all apart of things that could occur at any time. Maybe it is not really a fair thing to compare their benefits with ours. Hospitalization and injuries are a reality as a condition of being an employee. This should never be used as a means of gaining favors in politics.
ReplyDeletePlease correct me if I'm wrong. I thought if a police officer is injured in the line of duty, a seperate city insurance took care of those costs. The insurance being talked about is personal insurance to take care of off-duty and family health issues much like that in the private sector. Is this true?
ReplyDeleteFor me, my wife, and my two children, I pay over $600 a month to just HAVE co-pays when I visit the doctor, get prescriptions, or stay in the hospital. This $600 is called a premium, just to have a card that entitles me to "discounts" for healthcare. I still pay $30 to bring both kids to see the doctor, $15 for me to visit the doctor, $75 to visit the ER, etc, etc. This coverage we have is also to be considered very good. My wife is a nurse, so she works just as hard as police officers to protect the public and keep them healthy. One of the city employees above pays $10 per month for adult and one child. If I had one adult and one child, my insurance would still be $600 per month. That means this person working for the city is paying 1.6% of my cost for insurance. Fair? I think not. But who ever said life would be fair? As long as the city employees realize and are grateful for their top-of-the-line insurance coverage, I suppose I won't lose sleep over any of this.
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