Saltillo board offers employees insurance

March 10--SALTILLO -- Saltillo's employees will have one less thing to worry about after aldermen agreed to pay for long-term disability insurance.

Long-term disability insurance protects an employee from the loss of income due to illness, injury or accident. The added benefit for the 34 full-time employees will be in lieu of a raise.

"We can't do both, so we will have to forget about the 2 percent raise," said alderman Terry Glidewell.

"We weren't able to give them raises, so this is the least we can do," said alderman Copey Grantham.

Mayor Rex Smith said the idea came after a discussion with a friend with leukemia said the only way his family was able to survive the medical bills and him not working was the long-term disability insurance his company offered.

So Smith contacted the city's insurance provider about offering it as an additional coverage employees could purchase.

"In order to do it on a voluntary basis, everyone has to sign up or no one can get it," Smith said. "We have two employees who didn't want it.

"So the only way we can do it is if the city pays it for everyone, including the two who didn't want it."

During the budgeting process, the city put extra money into the insurance fund expecting an increase in premiums. When the actual price went down slightly, it gave the board a chance to offer the added coverage.

"We have the money for this right now, so my recommendation is that we give the guys this," Smith said.

The board voted unanimously Tuesday night to spend the extra $555 per month for the added coverage. About half the city's employees are first responders with the police and fire departments.

The long-term disability insurance is through Guardian and pays the employee a percentage of their salary when they are unable to work for more than six months. For accidents on the job, the insurance pays the portion not covered by Workman's Compensation.

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