by Catherine Rierson
Staff Writer
After a week of getting heat from an overwhelming number of disgruntled citizens, the Chapel Hill Town Council rescinded the controversial vote that would have allowed ex-council members to receive health care with taxpayers’ dollars.
Mayor Kevin Foy opened last night’s council meeting by stating that the council would review the 8-1 vote cast last week.
“What we’ve heard from citizens is the council made a mistake,†Foy said. “The best way to deal with a mistake is to rectify it and move on.â€
Before its reversal, the vote that drew fury from citizens for the past week gave former council members the same health care benefits full-time town employees receive. Upon leaving office, members who had served two full terms would have been eligible for continuation of the benefits, with 75 percent being paid by the town and 25 percent paid by the member.
Foy responded to the criticism by explaining that “members who develop a serious health problem during service in office, such as cancer or heart disease, could be unable to obtain health care coverage after they leave office, because of their ‘pre-existing condition.’â€
Pretty tepid coverage of an issue that’s first on the minds of just about every Chapel Hill taxpayer. Their decision to rescind the action isn’t nearly as important as why they ever did it in the first place. Please cover that part of it too.