Aldermen move insurance surcharge for city employees

In September the Board of Aldermen passed a $75 insurance surcharge for city employees who are unvaccinated against COVID-19. The surcharge is not unlike the one many companies require tobacco users to pay because of the risk it poses on the individual’s health.

Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver brought forward the business of consideration of striking the insurance surcharge of $75 per month from the city’s COVID-19 employee vaccination policy. Carver proposed to indefinitely suspend the surcharge but after a failed 2-5 motion to immediately strike the surcharge, Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp suggested postponing the surcharge to February 1, 2022 instead of starting on December 1.

Rupp pointed out that postponing it would allow the Aldermen to see what the United States Supreme Court decides on cases that are similar to this. There are also 172 city employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, and this would give them more time to get vaccinated.

Alderman Rupp made the motion to postpone the surcharge, and it was seconded by Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty. The motion carried 4-3 with the nays coming from Ward 2’s Sandra Sistrunk, Ward 4’s Mike Brooks, and Ward 6’s Roy A’. Perkins.

Sistrunk was opposed to the postponement because she was skeptical of the outcome of Supreme Court cases, and she mentioned those who are unvaccinated have had enough time to decide they want to get the vaccine or not.

“People have had almost three months now to make a decision about what they’re going to do. I don’t think that giving them an additional 60 days will move the needle of people’s decisions,” Sistrunk said. “I don’t think we will have any additional legal guidance from the Supreme Court or anybody else.”

Because the motion carried, the surcharge will become effective on February 1.

The Board of Aldermen will meet in a work session on Friday, December 3 at 11 a.m.