Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Relations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council adopts benefit-consultation and payment-in-lieu terms for police and fire units
Summary
Mount Vernon approved ordinances adding an outside benefits-consultation service (Enrollment Management Services) and a payment-in-lieu option for police and fire bargaining-unit employees; employees must consult EMS and follow open-enrollment procedures to opt out and take payment in lieu.
Mount Vernon City Council adopted ordinances on May 13 that amend employment terms for bargaining-unit employees in the police and fire departments to include outside benefits counseling and a regulated payment-in-lieu option.
Council adopted Ordinance 2026-18 for the Mount Vernon Police Department and Ordinance 2026-19 for the Fire Department. Both were advanced under suspension of the three-reading rule so changes could coordinate with the June 1 renewal date referenced during the meeting.
Safety-service director (Mr. Sers) described the principal change as the addition of Enrollment Management Services (EMS), a third-party consultation service that helps employees explore alternative benefit solutions — for example, options related to cancer care, fertility care, retirement transitions or other needs that the city’s insurance carrier may not fully cover. He said the city negotiated a payment-in-lieu arrangement so that an employee who decides to opt out of a benefit can receive a negotiated payment only after consulting with EMS, rather than unilaterally choosing cash over coverage.
"What EMS provides is... a consultation service to employees... if they are looking at alternative benefit solutions... if they are close to retirement... they can help that employee provide that," the director said, adding that employees cannot simply take a cash payment without the EMS consultation.
Council members noted the change is intended to preserve continuity of care while offering flexibility. The ordinances require the opt-out or payment-in-lieu process to occur during open enrollment and to include a consultation with EMS before any payment is processed.
Next steps: Human Resources will establish the EMS consultation process, finalize payment-in-lieu amounts and publish enrollment guidance ahead of the June 1 coordination date.
