The Kinder Council and Police Chief Paul Courville discussed adding a benefit to employee’s packages to entice employees to remain employed with the city.
Two options were presented to the council to consider paying health insurance after retirement for employees who work over 20 or 25 years for the town. One option would give employees, who worked 20 years for the town and were at least 55, the chance to retire and have their insurance benefits paid after retirement. The other option would be for 25 years of service with no age requirements. In both options, the employee would have to carry the city’s health insurance for 10 consecutive years before retiring to be eligible for the benefit.
Courville said this would “help sweeten the deal when hiring people.”
A discussion was held about whether this should be an ordinance or not, and Michael Holmes, town attorney, said he could set it up as an ordinance, which would require an introduction, publication and public hearing before the council took a vote on it.
Questions included long-term costs to the town’s budget; would benefits be capped in monies spent or length of benefits and how many employees would be eligible. Council members believed a consultant in retirement would have to be asked several questions to see how this would bind the town in its future endeavors.
Pointing out the benefits of insurance being paid after retirement for educators, jury, deputies, etc., Councilman Jerry Nevils Jr. said, “At the end of the day, you would get a reward,” if the employee stayed loyal to the town.
The council agreed that they should take care of employees, but they needed more information before making a decision. It was agreed that more information would be brought to them at the next meeting.
Mayor Wayland LaFargue said the town’s engineer would be accepting bids for its upcoming water and sewage project. He expected the council would approve bids and perhaps make a decision at its April meeting.
Nevils asked the council to consider appointing Brittany Taylor to its zoning board to fill the vacancy he left on the board when he was elected to the council. It was agreed to appoint Taylor. A discussion did occur on what would happen if Taylor’s employer ever came before the zoning board. Holmes explained, like council members, she would have to follow the ethics commission’s rules on recusing herself in situations like that. LaFargue also said the council should look at offering pay to members of the board in the future, and Nevils said in the year-and-a-half he sat on the board, only two meetings had been called.
