Against the advice of Dayton City Attorney Susan Arnold, the Dayton City Council approved on Monday a resolution to pay the health insurance premiums on individual, private medical insurance for council members who refuse the coverage that is available through the city's insurance program.

The city currently offers to city councilmen payment for the same health insurance that it offers all city employees.

According to the resolution, monthly payment would be made on individual premiums "not to exceed the cost of the monthly premium of the insurance offered through the City of Dayton."

The resolution directly affects councilmen Jim Barnes and John Heath, who have pre-existing medical conditions.

Barnes voted against approving the resolution, while Heath excused himself from the conference room and did not vote.

Voting for the resolution were councilmen Chris Conner, Bill Graham and Bobby Vincent. Vincent made the motion to approve the resolution, and Graham seconded the motion.
In advising against approving the resolution, Arnold said there was nothing illegal about what the resolution proposes, only that the Municipal Technical Advisory Service recommends that "cities refrain from making in-lieu-of health insurance cash payments to local elected officials until such time as the legislature may, by general law, authorize such payments."

She noted that, according MTAS, "Mayors and governing bodies are cautioned that receiving such payments may result in the officials having to repay the money to the city."

Vincent told The Herald-News after the meeting that he supported the resolution because if Barnes and Heath switched from their own individual health insurance coverage to that offered to all city employees, their coverage could eventually be jeopardized.

He explained that the city's insurance program would only cover them as long as they are councilmen, and if they ever left office, they would have a very difficult time finding another health insurer because of their pre-existing medical conditions.

Passing the resolution was the right thing to do, Vincent said.

Jim Ashley can be reached at jimashley@xtn.net.

Publisher's Note: Members of the Dayton Council spend hundreds of hours each year in meetings, workshops and training. Members of the Rhea County Commission and the Spring City Commission are paid for their service. The members of the Dayton City Council deserve to be compensated as well, in whatever form they choose.