When Minnie Diallo inquired about whether members of the Lathrop City Council were eligible for city-sponsored health benefits, she was doing so with the knowledge that the majority of other communities in the region offer the perk to those that represent the community.

And for the time being, Lathrop will continue without having that as an available option for elected officials.

Last week the Lathrop County Council voted 4-1 – with Diallo casting the lone dissenting vote – not to make the city’s medical coverage an available option, citing the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on municipal finances as the chief reason.

While the proposal garnered strong sentiment in the community – four letters in opposition to the idea were included with the presentation distributed to members of the council – Diallo said she saw health benefits as a way to make serving the community more equitable across the board.

“I just thought that it would make it fair for everybody that wants to run – people have told me that it’s a part-time job, but I’m not viewing it as that,” Diallo said. “And at the end of the day this is just a policy thing – it’s not saying that anybody is actually going to use the coverage, but it would at least make it available.”

According to the staff report, if all five members of the council were to take the city’s existing healthcare coverage it could end up costing taxpayers nearly $110,000 every year depending on the type of coverage chosen – at an average cost of $21,936 per year per member of the council.

Currently Lathrop’s elected officials are paid a monthly stipend of $277.

While Lathrop does make medical coverage available to members of the council that want to pay for it, it would be without the $1,828 contribution that the city provides for employees.

A variety of different HMO and PPO options are available to choose from under the city’s health plan, but the city used Kaiser HMO – the most commonly-chosen amongst Lathrop employees – for the presentation that was given to the council.

Diallo said that she received some pushback from the community prior to the meeting, and some of the letters that were included in the packet were pointed in their criticisms of the proposal.

“I’m appalled at the idea of a newly-elected council, that hasn’t even had one meeting under their belts but has audacity to ask for benefits or increases of any kind,” write Linda Rose in a letter that was included in the packet. “Asking the city for anything personal at this time, when our neighbors are hurting, is disgusting. These are the same people you took an oath to help.

“When you voluntarily put your name on the ballot, you claimed to want to do the ‘best’ for our city. You were elected for ‘civil service’ not ‘self’ service.”

Diallo said that she remains optimistic that it’s something that the council can revisit after the financial damage from the COVID-19 pandemic becomes clearer and the city is able to make adjustments in order to ensure ongoing financial security for its residents.

While the perk of health coverage is commonly offered in larger cities in the area like Manteca, Tracy, Lodi, and Ceres, cities like Ripon – which is smaller than Lathrop – makes it available for those on the council who would like to take it.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544