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Clarksburg council debates offering whole‑life employee benefit; staff to bring vendor back for details
Summary
Council discussed a proposed whole‑life benefit program that would be offered to city employees, raised concerns about retirement/tax implications, and asked staff to request a vendor briefing and a comparison chart vs existing plans.
Clarksburg — City staff presented a proposed whole‑life employee benefit program to the council on April 10 and council members asked for more information before deciding whether to offer it to employees.
Staff said the program would be offered at no upfront cost to the city for some employees but that certain departments (police and fire) could incur annual costs because of coverage levels. Staff also reported that the vendor’s enrollment process requires individual meetings with every employee who signs up so the vendor can calculate individual costs based on salary and tax status.
Council members raised several concerns: potential long‑term effects on employees’ taxable income and retirement calculations, whether the new program duplicates existing voluntary products already offered (Aflac, Colonial, Guardian), and the administrative burden of individual meetings. Finance staff said they had recommended not implementing the program at this time; multiple council members asked staff to produce a comparative chart listing benefits and costs across the city’s existing voluntary programs and the new proposal.
Council directed staff to bring the vendor back to a future meeting to present details and answer employee‑privacy and enrollment questions. Staff agreed to return with a comparison chart, clarification on whether employees (including elected officials) are eligible, and an estimate of the city costs for departments where the city would pay part of the premium. No vote was taken at the April 10 meeting.
