Sunbury Village Council is considering cutting incentives for village employees who opt out of their benefits.

At its Nov. 18 meeting, council held a second reading of an ordinance that would reduce to a flat $2,000 per year the payment to a worker who elects to receive no benefits.

Some employees have earned about $6,000 annually to opt out of their benefits.

Those higher amounts were awarded based on how long workers have been with the village and whether they are single or have families, said council president Tom Hatfield.

Council is slated to make a decision at its Dec. 2 meeting.

The village has 28 full-time employees who qualify for health insurance, fiscal officer John Lane said. Seven employees have opted out and 21 employees have insurance.

Lane said several employees have indicated to him they might elect to receive the village's insurance if the motion passes.

That would cost the village an additional $80,000 per year, he said.

"If people do (select insurance), it's not just $80,000 one time. It's $80,000 every year going forward that we would have saved that we're now all of the sudden going to have to pay out," Lane told council.

Hatfield said he discovered the village's opt-out policy pays much more than surrounding communities. He looked at Johnstown, Big Walnut Schools and Delaware County and found they pay anywhere from $3,000 to nothing to employees who opt out.

Council member Dan Shaw said village officials aren't trying to hurt employees, but they don't have the money to pay out so much.

"I don't mind paying them benefits and raises if we had the money," he said.

Council member Jennifer Witt said she had to weigh the needs of the employees versus the needs of the entire village.

"Health care is the last thing we have touched (to save village dollars) and didn't want to touch and it's been a very, very generous plan. É I appreciate exactly where (the employees) are coming from, but we've got to do our due diligence. É We've got to look at where the greater good is going to hit," she said.

At the meeting, Sunbury police officer Mark Mead approached council about the issue.

"I was a little shocked it was considering being cut and nobody involved in the program had been advised in any way about this," he said.

Mead added he didn't understand why the village would cut a program that saved money.

Hatfield told ThisWeek he was sympathetic to Mead and the other employees.

"Obviously, it's very concerning. Your heart goes out to someone who is experiencing financial troubles, but I have the same responsibility, not only to the employees but the village as a whole, and need to make a decision that's right for the employees and right for the citizens of the village," he said.