Two Elkhart firefighters filed appeals asking the Board of Works to delay removal of their spouses from the city health insurance plan until a grievance hearing can be held, but the board did not grant interim relief on July 1 because a conflict left it without a quorum to act.

The firefighters’ union president, Corey Brewer, told the board the spouses face “large financial harm” if removed midyear because they would lose accumulated deductibles and out-of-pocket progress and would have to restart coverage at their spouse’s employer. Brewer said the appeals rest on separate factual circumstances for each firefighter: one citing an open-enrollment form that, the union contends, qualified the spouse for coverage; another citing a 2016 exception granted for financial hardship and continuous coverage for eight years.

City Director of Human Resources Wayne Beilac told the Board existing board policy defines eligibility and that granting interim relief would “essentially be deciding the merits of the whole issue” and could open eligibility to other employees if the board set a contrary precedent. He said members who previously authorized the city’s eligibility rule did so to set a legal standard the administration must follow.

Board counsel explained the matter originated as an appeal of eligibility after the Board in 2011 set the city’s definition of eligible spouses. The city attorney’s office said appeals originally filed with the Board of Safety were routed here because this board previously determined eligibility and ineligibility for city coverage.

Board President said he would set a grievance hearing for July 15 and asked the parties to exchange exhibits in advance; because a member recused from voting due to a conflict related to legal representation, the board did not have the votes to rule on interim relief. The president directed staff to place the grievance hearing on the July 15 agenda and told parties to exchange exhibits one week before the hearing.

The board took no vote on interim relief on July 1; the grievance will be heard at the July 15 meeting and the record will include exchanged exhibits as directed.