WEST POINT — The West Point Board of Selectmen voted to resume paying 100 percent of city employee health benefits and canceled planned workday furloughs Monday during a special meeting.
Plans to force city employees to pay 100 percent of their health costs and cutting two work days each month passed at a Dec. 17 special meeting. The cost-cutting measures were the largest of a spate of cuts designed to trim a projected $600,000 deficit. The cuts would have saved an estimated $248,000 over the next six months but would have cost employees nearly $400 each month.
“Those were the two largest cost savings and really the only significant ones. We”re either going to have to find other cost savings or revisit these issues,” said Mayor Scott Ross.
The measures were rescinded in part because of Ward 3 Selectman Charles Collins” suggestion he had found alternative savings.
After a meeting with City Accountant Lisa Klutts, Collins claimed the city”s deficit was actually $305,000 and he had devised a plan to trim $409,000 from the general fund.
Much of Collins” plan revolves around measures already passed by the board with the exception of an estimated $102,600 increase in revenue from raising water and sewer rates by $3 per customer.
“They wasn”t concrete yet,” Collins said of the original cuts. “We got some of those ideas out of there and added some more to keep from having to cut the health care.”
“Water and sewer rates are supposed to pay for water and sewer operations,” Ross said in response after the meeting. “It”s an auxiliary unit. It”s not contingent for rate payers to pay for fire department services or police services or sanitation. They”re essential city services but they”re funded through the general fund.”
Collins” proposals will be examined by West Point”s finance committee in a meeting tonight.
“I think the figures have to be verified before we can rely on them, and I think the board has to have very accurate numbers before we can make decisions,” said Ross.
Additional savings in Collins” plans called for deferring one-third of city payroll clerk Deloris Dawson”s salary to the Water and Light Department ($7,000), taking away two paid holidays ($20,800) as opposed to the five eliminated at the Dec. 17 meeting and leaving the chief position unfilled at the West Point Police Department for a savings of $24,800.
Bobby Lane is acting as interim chief. Former Chief Steve Bingham was fired by the board in September.
The police department is short one more employee after the board voted to fire investigator Rommell Matthews at Lane”s suggestion following an hour-long executive session Monday. No explanations were given for Matthews” dismissal because it is a personnel matter.
Matthews was hand-picked by Bingham to head the WPPD”s investigation division. He had been suspended by the board for undisclosed reasons.
In other business the board:
n Authorized bids for the project to repair the bridge at the intersection of Highway 45 Alternate and Main Street.
n Awarded the contract to resurface Lone Oak Drive to J.J. Ferguson Company for $373,229. Funding for the project is being drawn from American Reinvestment and Recovery Act stimulus funds.
n Voted to hire Tim Estes ($28.24 per hour) and Jason Freeman ($19 per hour) to operate the wastewater treatment facility at the former Sara Lee plant.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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