Part-time officials' healthcare benefits sees 'spirited discussion' during Special Town Meeting

LAKEVILLE — Special Town Meeting saw large discussion on whether Lakeville should cease healthcare benefits for part-time elected officials.

Voters considered five questions at the Wednesday, Nov. 12 meeting. These included unpaid bills, appointing members to the Community Preservation Committee, a $25,000 building reuse study, funding for the Conservation Committee and the largest point of discussion — healthcare benefits for part-time town officials. 

The healthcare question appeared on the ballot as a non-binding article — meaning that voters’ decision would advise the Select Board to take action to drop or uphold the healthcare benefits. After lengthy discussion, voters recommended that the Select Board drop the benefits.

For FY26, about $110,000 of the town’s budget is appropriated to cover the healthcare expenses to the three boards who have part-time elected officials: the Board of Health, Board of Assessors and the Select Board. 

The ballot question came to Special Town Meeting as a citizen’s petition, aimed to eliminate health insurance costs to the three boards and subsequently save the town money.

A number of voters took part in discussion that included a mix of support and disdain for recommending the Select Board to drop the benefits.

“My issue is, we cannot afford to do this anymore. We just can't,” said MIchael Smith, the petition’s writer.

He noted concerns of future spikes in insurance costs, and having no financial guardrails for the amount of part-time elected officials who may receive the benefits or insurance stipends. If all individuals who are eligible for the benefits accepted a “standard family plan” insurance — it would amount to $275,000. Part-time officials are given the choice to accept a stipend or receive the benefits. 

Smith said he’s very concerned about the town’s budget and doesn’t want to see cuts to other projects, services or personnel to occur.

“This isn't a personal thing. [Select Board members] work hard, and they're wonderful people,” Smith said. “But, at some point someone's got to stand up and say this needs to end.”

A handful of voters who commented agreed the town needs to save money, and the cuts to healthcare could be a worthwhile decision.

“I hate to take things away from people, but I understand healthcare is an escalating cost. Maybe there's a compromise somewhere in here,” resident Dick Scott said. “I’m depending on the Select Board to analyze it in-depth and come up with a recommendation for the next Town Meeting.”

Resident Jim Leary, said the benefits are important to attract experienced candidates to the part-time positions.  

“If you can't recruit top talent, you don't always get the desired results. To get top talent, you need to incentivize those who are going to serve,” Leary said.

Before the vote was taken, Select Board Chair Maureen Candito said regardless of the vote the Select Board will be taking action on the question. She is not in favor of taking benefits away from officials before their term is up, she said.

“I will take it back for a vote of the Select Board and we will vote, but I will not take it before the board and make the motion to remove people's insurance in the middle of the year,” Candito said. “It would be at the end of their term.”

By the end of the discussion, voters affirmed support for the Select Board to eliminate health insurance benefits for part-time employees.

“I think I've achieved what I wanted to do, and that was to make everyone aware of the cost of this, and what is going on,” Smith said. “I'm glad it was a spirited discussion.”

Candito said the board will most likely take the issue up at a Select Board meeting in January.

The fourth question on the ballot, of establishing a revolving funds account for the Conservation Committee, passed with an amendment that reduced the committee's funding from the original amount of $15,000, which first appeared on the ballot, to $7,500.

A revolving fund account is a dedicated account that raises funds through various fees — in this case, administrative fees from proposed developments — and allows a commission to directly spend the funds for their purposes. 

The main purpose for the new funding account, as explained by Nancy Yeatts, the chair of the committee, is to expedite the creation of wetland bylaws.

She said 33.5% percent of Lakeville is wetland or open water, and the committee used to receive help from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for their conservation efforts amidst new developments, but the state-assistance has dried up.

“We need specialized help. We do not need Town Counsel — no offense — but we need professional wetland scientists and engineers,” Yeatts said. “Our whole town has private wells. We have to watch out for our groundwater too.”

The approval of the new funding account concerned Town Administrator Andrew Sukeforth, Candito and Select Board Member Lorraine Carboni, since it now opens the door for other commissions and committees to establish revolving funding accounts — which could pull money away from the town’s general budget in fiscally tough times ahead.

 They agreed when committees need funding, the Select Board has consistently stepped-in to help so revolving funds wouldn't be needed.

“All of the boards, committees and commissions — if they've ever needed a project to be addressed and funded, we've always supported it,” Carboni said after the meeting. “Now, this is going to open the possibility of [revolving fund accounts] for other committees.”

Questions on paying unpaid bills, establishing bylaws for appointing members to the Community Preservation Committee, and using $25,000 for a building re-use study at the Town Hall building all received voter approval with little discussion.