I just noticed that the Putnam County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a called meeting for April 25. That date just happens to coincide with their association’s spring conference in Savannah, meaning it appears they will conduct a board meeting in Savannah.
For the past two years, this administration has conducted a called meeting in Savannah during its spring conference to discuss and approve the county employees’ health benefit package. The cost of this health benefit package (medical, dental, vision, etc.) has the potential to exceed $2.5 million and is obviously the largest employee expense, except for salaries. Yet this discussion and approval takes place without benefit of either employee or public input or comments because of the meeting location.
In the years prior to this current administration, discussion of the employee medical benefits package did take place in Savannah, but the approval vote was taken during a subsequent meeting back in Putnam County, thus allowing for some level of public comments and employee review of the benefit package prior to it being cast in stone.
In the interest of transparency and public/employee input, I call upon the Board of Commissioners, this year, to withhold the actual benefit package approval vote in Savannah and schedule it for the first scheduled BOC meeting in May.
Billy Webster Putnam County