Sparks fly over harbor health care

Crescent City Harbor Commission members may soon be spending more of the harbor’s money on their own insurance coverage.

In a 3-2 vote after sometimes testy  exchanges, commissioners directed staff to explore increasing insurance coverage for themselves Tuesday night at the behest of Chairman Jack Reese.

Reese said he placed the issue on Tuesday’s agenda because he thought he had dental coverage until he found out otherwise during an office visit.

“We should get the same benefits as all the other staff,” Reese said. “We don’t get life, dental and vision, and considering the amount we get paid, and the amount we do, I think we deserve the same benefits as other employees.”

Commissioners are paid approximately $320 per month.

The proposed increase would expand commissioners’ current medical insurance coverage to include dental, vision and life insurance, and would provide them the same amount of coverage as full-time harbor employees.

While Reese was supported by commissioners Scott Feller and Ray Martell, commissioners Ron Phillips and James Ramsey had misgivings.

“I’m perfectly happy with what I have now,” Phillips said. “I think that until we can get our deficit down we can’t keep taking from what we don’t have.”

The harbor’s current deficit is about $147,000.

Reese replied, “the issue is that we have the option,” he said, referring to the fact that commissioners have the power to obtain the additional coverage — at the harbor’s expense.

Ramsey echoed Phillips and added, “I think we should use this money to do what we were elected to do. This money could be better spent on some of the important projects, not being taken out for our pockets.”

Reese responded by asking whether Ramsey actually needed the extra coverage, to which Ramsey, a local teacher, replied “no, I am covered through the school district.”

Feller supported the proposal because he said that it could make more people interested in serving on the Harbor Commission.

Martell added, “Personally I don’t think $50 a month would break the bank.”

At times the exchanges were snippy. When Phillips began a sentence by saying “I didn’t run for this office ...” Reese interrupted him with “I’m sure none of us have.”

The commission directed harbor staff to provide background on the issue and research procedures for giving commissioners the same benefits as employees.

Ramsey and Phillips cast the dissenting votes.

Harbormaster Richard Young said Wednesday that commissioners were covered under CalPERS, the state employee medical program, until 1994 when the state legislature decided that elected officials not associated with schools, cities or counties couldn’t receive CalPERS benefits.

“In 1995 the Harbor Commission decided to pay for health coverage for commissioners out of harbor coffers,” Young said. “Since then, it has been understood that it only applied to medical insurance.”

Young said that staff is still trying to figure out how it would actually work to increase benefits to commissioners.

“We’re not sure yet,” Young said. “Does it take a new resolution, is it just a policy decision? We are researching those questions. In the end, though, it is up to the board to decide.”