A movement is already under way to reconsider a more generous health insurance package that the Kenosha County Board voted to give itself Tuesday.

Supervisor Jennifer Jackson, one of the proponents in a 14-13 vote to strip supervisors of the requirement to contribute to their insurance premiums, will make a motion to reconsider the matter, County Board Chairman Joe Clark confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier Wednesday, Clark called on supervisors to reopen the debate, stating Tuesday’s decision represented a backward step, as constituents are facing challenging economic times.

The move, relieving supervisors of the previously budgeted requirement to pay 15 percent of their insurance premiums, has roughly a $50,000 impact on county taxpayers, according to a preliminary estimate.

“In the scope of the budget, it’s 36 cents per $100,000 of assessed value,” Clark said. “But in the scope of what’s the right thing to do during these economic times and all those things, it’s huge.”

Clark said he was conferring with attorneys on how to handle the reconsideration, which he said he believes will involve reopening the entire budget. That would occur at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the county Administration Building, 1010 56th St.

Mistaken vote

Jackson, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, wrote in an e-mail that she voted for the amendment in error, as she was confused and did not understand what she was supporting.

Supervisor Jim Huff, who made the amendment motion, defended the move Wednesday, saying he believes if board supervisors are afforded health insurance benefits, they should be the same as those given to all county employees.

The budget taken to the board Tuesday would have left the 28 supervisors, the register of deeds, the county clerk and treasurer as the only county insurance recipients required to pay a portion of their premiums.

In line with

elected officials

This disparity harkens back to 2005, when the board voted to require all county elected officials to pay 10 percent of their insurance premiums, with taxpayers continuing to subsidize the rest.

Proponents say the goal was to lead union bargaining units toward contributing to their insurance, but this did not occur in subsequent contract negotiations.

Clark budgeted for supervisors to up their contributions to 15 percent next year, he said, to bring the board’s benefit package closer in line with similar counties such as Racine.

Things grew murkier recently, when the Administration and Finance committees voted to remove the payment requirement from the county executive, sheriff and clerk of courts, citing the continuing disparity with non-elected administrators. The clerk, treasurer and register of deeds’ compensation packages cannot be adjusted until their terms end in 2012.

Eleventh-hour move

The notion of supervisors’ insurance did not arise until Tuesday, when Supervisor Dayvin Hallmon moved to strike the benefit altogether, arguing that it was a part-time position that did not deserve such compensation.

Supervisors are paid a $6,000 annual salary along with the ability to enroll in the insurance plan; $286,586 was budgeted for board insurance next year, with the 15 percent employee subsidy factored in.

Hallmon’s motion was amended to a 50 percent subsidy before it died on a 22-5 vote.

Huff, who said he has supported eliminating supervisor insurance in the past, made his motion later in the meeting.

“It’s either all or nothing — either we have insurance or we don’t,” Huff said Wednesday. “Let’s do one or the other.”