HomeMy WebLinkAbout1644RESOLUTION NO. I b tit/
A RESOLUTION of the ctty counctl of the ctty of
Kent, Washmgton, dtrectmg adnnmstratwn to estabhsh the
goal of achtevmg an mcrease in ctty employee
contnbutwns to health care benefit premmrns to 20% of
each employee's total premmm cost by the year 2006
WHEREAS, the ctty of Kent, along wtth a number of other mumctpahties
and busmesses, has expenenced a budget shortfall caused by decreasmg revenues and
mcreasmg operatmg expenses, and
WHEREAS, over 75% of the ctty's general fund budget ts made up of ctty
employee salanes and benefits; and
WHEREAS, a stgmficant cause for the ctty's mcreased operatmg expenses
ts the dramatically mcreasmg cost of provtdmg health care benefits to tts employees, and
WHEREAS, m 2003, the estimated cost of these health care benefits wtll
exceed 2002 budgeted health care costs by more than 40%, and the ctty expects these
costs to contmue to mcrease m the futilre; and
WHEREAS, m an attempt to balance tts 2003 budget, ctty admmtstratwn
determmed 1t was necessary to provtde layoff notices to 32 employees on Apnl 24, 2003,
whtch layoffs wtll take effect on June 30, 2003, and
WHEREAS, the ctty must revtew still more options to cut expenditures m
order to keep tts budget m balance, and
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WHEREAS, even after the layoffs, the general fund will contmue to be
burdened by mcreasmg health care costs, and
WHEREAS, city employees currently pay less than five percent (5%) of
the actual cost of their health care premmms, and the c1ty pays the remamder m full, and
WHEREAS, the current level of c1ty contributiOn for health care benefits
provided by the c1ty to Its employees exceeds the amount of employer contnbuhons
prov1ded m many other governmental agencies and m most pnvate busmesses, and
WHEREAS, m these difficult economic times, the city cannot realistically
contmue to prov1de th1s same level of contribution, given current budgetary realities, and
WHEREAS, c1ty employees must understand that the c1ty can no longer
prov1de the same amount of contnbutwn toward health care benefits, and
WHEREAS, the trme has come for c1ty employees to pay a larger share of
the1r health care premmm costs m order to mamtam the same amount of health care
benefits for themselves and their families, and
WHEREAS, the c1ty council values c1ty employees, and understands that
rmsmg health care premmms IS a change m paradigm that Will reqmre cooperatiOn, good
w1ll, and good fa1th by all part1es to achieve, and
WHEREAS, the c1ty council supports a staged mcrease m each
employee's contnbutwn toward the cost of his or her health care med1cal premmms to
20% by the year 2006, urges the vanous bargammg un1ts withm the c1ty to support this
mcrease, and d1rects adm1mstratwn to establish the goal of ach1evmg an mcrease m c1ty
employee contnbutwns for health care benefit premmms to 20% of each employee's total
premmm cost by the year 2006, NOW, THEREFORE,
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THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENT, WASHINGTON
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. -Employees to Increase Contrzbutzons The City council
directs the mayor to establish the goal of ach1evmg a staged mcrease m city employee
contnbutwns for health care benefit premmms to 20% of each employee's total monthly
premmm cost by the year 2006 This goal shall apply equally to all city employees,
specifically mcludmg through bargammg w1th all of the vanous bargammg umts w1thm
the c1ty
SECTION 2. -Severabzlzty If any sectiOn, subsectiOn, paragraph,
sentence, clause, or phrase of this resolutiOn IS declared unconstitutiOnal or mvalid for
any reason, such decisiOn shall not affect the validity of the remammg portwns of this
resolutiOn
SECTION 3. -Effectzve Date This resolutiOn shall take effect and be m
force Immediately upon Its passage
PASS ED at a regular open public meetmg by the city council of the city of
Kent, Washmgton, this J dayofJune, 2003
2003
CONCURRED m by the mayor of the city of Kent this .3 day of June,
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ATTEST
BRENDA JACOBER, TY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO FORM
TOM BRUBAKER, CITY ATTORNEY
I hereby cert1fy that tills IS a true and correct copy of ~lut10n No I b t/ l/
passed by the c1ty counc1l of the c1ty of Kent, Washmgton, the ...3 day of June, 2003
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