Sheriff Sounds off on County's Proposed Health Care Changes

(re-printed from the Intelligencer...Margaret Gibbons reported this well enough that I need not comment)

Sheriff blasts moves to cut Montco benefits

Requiring Montgomery County government employees to pick up part of the tab for their health care benefits, freezing their salaries and instituting payless holidays could jeopardize public safety, according to county Sheriff John P. Durante.

"I will say for the record that these proposed changes in next year's budget will affect public safety in a big way," said Durante, an independently elected row officer, in a letter he fired off to the three county commissioners Tuesday.

"When an emergency occurs, we will no longer be able to reach personnel because they will be away working part-time jobs to pay for their benefits and to support their families," said Durante, adding that he is opposed to all three measures.

At least one commissioner, Republican Bruce L. Castor Jr., is inclined to agree with Durante.

"I think John is probably right," said Castor. "All employees on the lower pay scales likely will have to take second jobs and they might not be available if an emergency comes up and they are needed by the sheriff's office or the district attorney's office."

"I, personally, am reluctant to fiddle at all with health insurance," said Castor.

The commissioners are struggling to close a projected $53.5 million funding gap in 2010 without having to increase taxes.

They have already agreed to slow down the pace of spending for the county's popular municipal open space preservation grant program and terminated four middle managers in the parks and historical sites department.

Other belt-tightening measures under discussion are freezing salaries, not paying employees for seven of the 13 holidays they have and passing on the higher costs of health insurance to employees who previously did not have to pay for health insurance for themselves or their immediate family members.

No final decisions have been made on any of these proposals that impact county employees, the commissioners have repeatedly emphasized.

However, the commissioners have been deluged with e-mails from irate county employees after sending out a memo last week with projected health care insurance costs.

For example, employees earning under $30,000 would have to pay $15 from their biweekly paychecks next year for insurance for themselves. The cost would go up to $50 a paycheck for employees wanting health insurance for themselves and two or more family members.

This is also based on a new health insurance plan that provides less coverage and also requires higher co-payments.

"We shouldn't be paying for our uncontrolled spending with employee's blood," said Castor.

Instead, Castor said, the commissioners should terminate Democratic Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel's "high-paid cronies who were brought on board two years ago."

Also, the county should put the county's new economic development program, spearheaded by Hoeffel, on hold until the economy turns around, said Castor.

"Let's look at everything before we look to our employees," said Castor, who is the odd man out in the bipartisan government controlled by Republican Commissioner Chairman James R. Matthews and Hoeffel.

The newspaper could not reach Hoeffel for this story.