County drops insurance benefit for chairman

The County Board on Thursday unanimously agreed to end health and dental insurance coverage for the County Board chairman, effective July 31. The resolution gained unanimous approval Thursday, with Chairman Lee Rymer among those voting yes. Two supervisors were absent. With the change, the county is set to save $1,465 a month: $1,410 for health insurance and $55 for dental. That equals $13,185 from August to April 2016, when the term of the chairman expires. Rymer, 77, told supervisors last month that he would evaluate Medicare options and stop accepting insurance benefits by Aug. 1. Rymer was compensated $38,147 in 2014, including $21,064 in fringe benefits. He said health insurance has been a benefit for the chairman since the 1950s, but agreed that eliminating the benefit will provide a savings for the county. “We’ve got strategic planning going on here, and I think, board members, this would be a good savings for looking at strategic planning,” Rymer said. “It’s good for the board and good for everybody living in the county.”