ASHBY — The Board of Selectmen is hoping some town employees will elect to be part of a new plan for health insurance.
Currently, the town pays 90 percent of health insurance premiums for its full-time employees.
The town will offer $3,000 per year to employees on the town’s family health-insurance plan if they join a spouse’s family plan instead, Selectman Geoff Woollacott said at the board’s April 2 meeting. The employees will be able to use these funds to pay for medical expenses, such as the premiums on a spouse’s plan from another employer and deductibles.
“If we can move enough of these guys, we can buy the police cruiser,” said Woollacott.
The town would save $5,000 per year for the first employee to elect this plan, he said, and $8,500 for each one after that.
The treasurer placed a notice about this option in this week’s paychecks, to poll employee interest, he said. The town should have a good idea of how many would use this option before the Annual Town Meeting in May.
If there is enough interest, Woollacott said, the cruiser will not need to be funded by an override.
Selectmen asked police Chief Paul Ludin whether the town needs two new cruisers this year.
It isn’t necessary, said Ludin.
“If we got one this year maybe, we could skip next year and go for another two years from now,” he said.
In other news, the Ashby Grange will host a candidates’ night for the three selectmen candidates April 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the Grange Hall on New Ipswich Road in the center of town.
