Increases in benefit costs are the predominant reason that the Town budget in Somers, NY increased this year. NCNLocal.com recently detailed those increases over several years for three towns. Here is what the article says about Somers.
Somers
The town's health benefit costs for its 71 full-time employees, including police, nine part-time employees and its 10 elected officials, have risen about 13 percent between 2008 and 2011. The town paid out $1,700,369 in 2008, $1,809,237 in 2009 and $1,933,735 in 2010 health benefits for employees, elected officials and retirees. All town employees who work more than part-time hours, elected officials and police are eligible to receive municipal health benefits that total $9,440 annually for single coverage and $17,776 per year for family coverage. Employees and elected officials hired or elected after Dec. 31, 2003 contribute 50 percent of health premium increases while employees hired and elected officials elected before Jan. 1, 2004 do not contribute. The town covers all health premium costs for retirees hired before Dec. 31, 2003 while retirees hired after that date contribute 50 percent toward premium increases. Although municipal employee pension costs fell by about 27 percent between 2008 and 2009, from $391,241 to $287,792, they spiked between 2009 and 2010 by 30 percent. The town paid out $409,611 in employee pension costs in 2010. Municipal police and firefighter pension costs, like employee costs, fell between 2008 and 2009, from $17,206 to $9,070, but rose to $14,651 in 2010.
Read the complete story in NCNLocal.com, Somers, Putnam Valley and Peekskill shoulder benefit cost spike.
LINKS
http://ncnlocal.com/ncnlocal_news/article_b9d67c4c-3a49-11e0-8a50-001cc4c002e0.html
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