BY JOHN MULLEN

jmullen@gulfcoastnewspapers.com

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Changes in the city’s health insurance will help in the recruitment of new employees, city officials say.

At Tuesday’s session, the Orange Beach City Council repealed an earlier resolution requiring incoming employees to play 100 percent of health insurance for their families. The new policy will require new hires to pay 20 percent.

Also Tuesday, the council considered having another candidate forum or debate since the election was delayed for two weeks by Hurricane Isaac. The city also OK’d a monitoring and engineering contract for a restoration project on Robinson Island.

City Administrator Ken Grimes said the tough economic times dictated city’s move to having new hires pay 100 percent.

“Last year the decision was made for new full-time hires, they would get zero support and would have to pay 100 percent of family medical coverage,” Grimes said.”It was a drastic change. Prior to that, the city policy had dictated that the employees would pay 50 percent of family coverage.”

The new policy put the city at a disadvantage when recruiting new employees.

“When you heard us talking about it as a recruiting tool, it had impact a number of times where out top candidate we wanted to hire for full-time job needed family insurance,” Grime said. “Once you explained the benefit package, they couldn’t make the numbers work.”

An example was of a police officer the city wanted to hire.

“Now, I feel like in the private sector and in other government sectors we’re competitive and that’s what Chief (Billy) Wilkins had presented the other day with the example of a police officer,” Grimes said. “An officer had left to take a job in Foley or Robertsdale or Gulf Shores.

“Those are examples of where we were not competitive in this last year because of that change to make them pay 100 percent of family. So I feel like we are finally, with the economic times changing, and the outlook looking better for the city, that’s what led to a lot of this.”

Under the new policy, new hires will pay 20 percent of the cost of family insurance while the city will absorb 80 percent. Eventually all employees will come under this policy as well.

Many employees were hired in the days when the city provided 100 percent of the insurance coverage. Those employees, Grimes said, will absorb yearly increases until they reach the 20 percent threshold.

“I’m very excited that our council, the elected body and of course the finance committee supported us because we needed to have this to be at a competitive level when we are recruiting new employees,” Grimes said.

A citizen asked the council if it would be possible for a new forum or debate could be staged before Tuesday’s election.

“If we do it this time, I’m going to moderate it,” Mayor Tony Kennon said.” If we do it, it’s going to be a real question and answer with a chance to rebut. It’s not going to be fluff. It’s going to be real.”

Councilwoman Pattisue Simpson who is running against Jerry Johnson to retain her Place 3 seat.

“I’m not interested in it,” Simpson said. “I can’t do it because I know the person moderating it is not supporting me for election. He’s made that clear so I don’t want to.”

Councilman Jeff Silvers, who is unopposed in Place 4, asked Ron David of the Orange Beach Citizens Association if his group was interested in holding another forum for candidates. Most of the candidates in attendance were not in favor of it.

“I don’t see any support from the citizens here,” Silvers said.

The city agreed to pay Volkhert $6,500 for environmental monitoring and construction engineering and inspection for the installation of a living shoreline on Robinson Island. The part of the island facing Terry Cove is facing severe erosion.

In other business, the city OK’d a liquor license for Shawn’s House of Burgers and Eatery, a new restaurant at The Wharf, and also passed a resolution reappointing Kennon to the board of directors of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, also known as Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism.