Board delays Wynn’s attempt to change insurance agent
Starkville aldermen and Mayor Parker Wiseman again find themselves preparing for a battle over health insurance.
Aldermen override Wiseman’s attempt to save LGBT-friendly policies
Starkville’s statement of equality and its plus-one insurance offering will remain off the books after aldermen overrode Mayor Parker Wiseman’s vetoes 5-2 Tuesday.
Activists targeting Tuesday’s aldermen meeting
On Monday, Starkville residents will march in solidarity of equal rights during Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
One day later, aldermen are expected to rubberstamp decisions that critics say take away equality from members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community.
Wiseman vetoes board’s actions targeting LGBT employees
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman issued his promised vetoes of two board resolutions.
Our View: Certain inalienable rights …
The continuing controversy over the city of Starkville’s polices regarding its LGBT residents touches on a subject that goes far beyond the city.
Perkins initiated closed-door policy changes
Documents show Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins initiated Tuesday’s executive session motions that repealed Starkville’s resolution supporting equality and amended the city’s plus-one insurance option to only spouses in state-recognized marriages.
Our View: Starkville’s shameful treatment of LGBTs
For a full year now, the Starkville Board of Aldermen have been going back and forth on policies which affect the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Aldermen kill equality, same-sex insurance resolutions
Five Starkville aldermen on Tuesday repealed the city’s equality resolution and ended its plus-one insurance option available to workers’ same-sex partners.
Lowndes supes to revisit insurance for retirees
At District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks’ behest, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors will revisit its previous decision to remove retirees from the county insurance policy at the end of 2015.
Lowndes Co. drops insurance for retirees
Monday’s Lowndes County Board of Supervisors meeting was a matter of give and take.
Insurance savings may offset tax increases in annexed areas
If you own one of the 638 homes or 44 businesses recently annexed into the city of Columbus, you’ll be paying more property taxes, but some of that cost will be offset by lower insurance rates due to improved fire protection.
Health law waivers: Too complicated to claim?
Millions of Americans may qualify for waivers from the most unpopular part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
Recusal saves plus-one insurance expansion
Starkville will again allow its employees to place same-sex partners on the city’s insurance plan after the board of aldermen fell one vote shy of overturning Mayor Parker Wiseman’s veto of their action to limit the expansion to only legally married couples Tuesday.
Our View: The casualties of war
Tuesday evening marked the end of a battle that should never have been fought. Among the casualties were the credibility of a few Starkville aldermen and lots and lots of hurt feelings on both sides of this minor, irrelevant and unnecessary skirmish of The Culture Wars.
Wynn’s vote is crucial in plus-one insurance battle
When aldermen vote tonight whether to override Mayor Parker Wiseman’s veto of a board action that limited Starkville’s plus-one health insurance policy to only legally married spouses, both supporters and detractors of the change will turn their attention to Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn for her decision to either abstain or take a stance on the issue.
Mayor vetoes insurance change, challenge coming
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman vetoed aldermen’s recent action to limit expanded health insurance coverage to legally married couples, and the four aldermen who pushed for the change are expected to call for an override during Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. recess meeting at City Hall.
Aug. insurance letter acknowledged ‘domestic partnership’ coverage
An August report delivered to Starkville and provided in the city’s e-packet before Sept. 2’s meeting clearly identifies “domestic partnerships” as a beneficiary to an expanded plus-one insurance package that the board first unanimously approved earlier this month and then rescinded Tuesday.
Starkville revokes same-sex insurance
Starkville aldermen specifically removed same-sex partners from the city’s new plus-one insurance coverage Tuesday after an hour-long public comment session that yielded support of the move from the city’s religious base and sharp criticism from those who self-identified as members of Starkville’s LGBT community.
Slimantics: What would Jesus do a point of contention for Starkville aldermen
Upon further review, the Starkville Board of Aldermen, most of them at least, would like you to know that God doesn’t hate gay people; he just hates giving them health insurance.
Plus-one insurance policy again up for discussion
Fresh off the heels of a closed-door session last week on Starkville’s new plus-one insurance policy, aldermen again will take up the matter during their 5:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting.