Brightwaters leaders end free health care

Brightwaters trustees voted unanimously Monday night to end village-sponsored health benefits for its five-member board and village justice.

The elected leaders began receiving free family coverage in 1997. In 2001, the board extended lifetime benefits to trustees serving 10 years or more. Trustee health benefits cost the village about $72,000 a year, or $66 annually for the average taxpayer, officials said.

"It is a sign of the times," Mayor Joseph McNulty said before the vote, explaining why he supports ending benefits. "Our village is in excellent financial condition. But in order to keep it that way, we will bite the bullet on the insurance."

About 50 people were at the meeting. Many clapped after the resolution passed.

Steve Pertusati, 51, a real estate agent, said he was disappointed in the vote.

"There was no compromise," he said. "This does not express the will of the village, just a vocal minority."

He said trustees should have surveyed residents before making a decision. Pertusati, who thinks trustees should receive some sort of compensation, said he thinks people will now seek to give the board salaries or stipends.

The health care perk became an issue during the village's last election cycle in June. Since then, McNulty and the trustees, all members of the Citizens Party, have faced increasing public push-back about the benefits. Residents began packing meetings and questioning the merits of the benefits and the financial strain they might cause the village.

The mayor and trustees are expected to stop receiving free benefits on Jan. 1, 2012. They can buy insurance through the village. The village justice will stop receiving benefits on July 1, 2014, because legally, the board must wait for the justice's term to end before changing the benefits, McNulty said.

Trustee Charles Fischer, who started receiving village-provided benefits two years ago when he lost his job in banking, had been a strong supporter of keeping the benefits but voted Monday night to get rid of them.