White Plains Retired Firefighters Health Insurance Vote Postponed
The White Plains Common Council on Dec. 2 postponed a vote on legislation that would have ended the requirement for some retired city firefighters to pay a portion of their health insurance premiums because one councilperson was absent.
For the past several months retired firefighters have attended the Citizens to be Heard portions of Common Council meetings to seek the policy change. Due to a difficult financial period, the city required firefighters to pay 15 percent of their health insurance premiums beginning in 2010. In 2015 the Common Council restored the benefit to active firefighters but not to retirees of the fire department.
During the Citizens to be Heard portion of last week’s meeting, Ed Lobermann, a retired firefighter who has been speaking on behalf of himself and about 100 other retired firefighters at several meetings, told the Common Council said he was asked by the city to submit a proposal to end the health insurance payment requirement and say how much it would cost the city annually.
Lobermann said he asked the city for data on how much retired firefighters 70 and older were paying the city and data on how much all retired firefighters who pay a portion of health insurance were paying. The July 31 e-mail from Corporation Counsel John Callahan stated retired firefighters 70 and older contribute $31,600 and all retired firefighters required to make the payment provide $97,500 annually to the city, Lobermann said, adding the city has not disputed the two figures.
Callahan told a local newspaper that the cost of dropping the health insurance premium payment for some retired firefighters would be about $200,000 annually, but the city is currently paying $168,400, Lobermann said.
“Even if you granted no relief to our retired firefighters and we contribute the same dollar amount which we are presently contributing your contribution would still be the $168,400, Lobermann said.
Mayor Tom Roach said the legislation to end the health insurance premium would not be voted on during the meeting. “We’re just offering the ordinance” because one of the Common Council members, Councilman John Kirkpatrick, was not present. Roach said the legislation would be voted on before the end of the year.
Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona, who wrote the draft resolution, said an e-mail from Callahan stated the total being paid by those retired firefighters 70 and older is about $31,600 annually.
