Sturtevant Trustee in Madison to Support State Insurance Bill

Communities that don't participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System were challenged in 2011 to balance their 2012 budgets without some of the tools provided in Act 10, or the Budget Repair Act.

But now, SB 153 aims to change that by allowing municipalities to participate in the local government health insurance plan through the Group Insurance Board even if they aren't part of the Wisconsin Retirement System.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) and Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester) co-sponsored the legislation triggered, in part, by . The village sent a letter asking for assistance in May 2011.

In his statement on Jan. 11 before the Assembly after the bill passed in the Senate, Wanggaard had this to say, "Sturtevant village trustees have served as excellent stewards of taxpayer funds, and they have worked diligently to hold down costs and maintain a balanced budget. However, Sturtevant does not participate in the Wisconsin Retirement System, so it cannot access the health insurance plan offered by the Group Insurance Board."

He also said he understood that tools offered under Act 10 can't be utilized without participating in the health insurance pool. Allowing communities like Sturtevant to start participating in the Group Insurance Board does not have any financial impact on the state or municipalities already in the pool.

Sturtevant Trustee Chris Wright also appeared before the Assembly to ask members to pass SB 153 to help alleviate some of the cost burden on the village. When he was first elected to the Village Board in 2007, Sturtevant had 35 full time employees and that alone caused insurance rates to fluctuate greatly so the move to Central States through the union allowed the village to save money. But now, there are 16 full time employees, which means if the union ever decertifies, insurance costs will rise dramatically.

During his testimony, Wright highlighted how the village is only able to save money because of its participating in a plan through the Teamsters Union which represents four Public Works employees.

"With only four members in the local union, it is not guaranteed that they will recertify each year. If they chose to decertify we would be forced to go back to the private market. However, because we now have 16 fulltime employees instead of 35, this will likely cause much higher rates," he said. "SB 153 will allow us and other smaller communities to find more stable and cost effective coverage for our employees. This will benefit both our employees and the taxpayers of Sturtevant and other communities around Wisconsin."

A spokesperson from Wanggaard's office said the bill is expected to pass the Assembly with bipartisan support.