Which Centre County townships provide supervisors with health insurance? Here’s a look

For township supervisors in Centre County, the perks of public office might just include a modest monthly stipend, although in some places the benefits don’t stop there.

Some supervisors and their dependents also receive health insurance coverage on behalf of the township. In Benner Township, the benefits recently drew controversy, with residents questioning a nearly $100,000 annual cost of insurance plans for two supervisors.

This is allowed under Pennsylvania’s Second Class Township Code, which states that supervisors who aren’t township employees must submit coverage request letters to board, have them approved a public meeting and recorded in the minutes. Supervisors who are employed by the township are entitled to coverage without the submission of a request letter.

In Benner Township, supervisors Randy Moyer and Larry Lingle are each covered in the amount of roughly $48,000 per year.

Lingle’s policy is $3,863 monthly and covers himself and his wife, and Moyer’s policy is $4,385 monthly and covers himself, his wife and his 19-year-old adopted grandson. In total, the two supervisors’ insurance plans cost the township $98,964 annually.

The high coverage amounts and claim that a letter requesting coverage wasn’t included in the minutes of a public meeting drew outcry from residents during a meeting in early January. Residents also questioned why the supervisors weren’t enrolled in Medicare instead, since they’re both eligible.

The Centre Daily Times recently reached out to or filed Right-to-Know requests with ten other townships to see if they provide their supervisors with health insurance, and if so, how much the coverage costs.

We requested information from townships in the Centre Region, as well as a sampling of rural townships: Boggs, College, Ferguson, Halfmoon, Harris, Patton, Potter, Rush, Spring and Snow Shoe.

Boggs Township

Boggs Township has three supervisors, and while all three are employees of the township and entitled to health insurance coverage, only two of the supervisors accept the coverage, according to township solicitor Rodney Beard.

While Beard did not share with the CDT which supervisors were covered, he said that their monthly premiums were $2,965 and $3,720, and add up to roughly $47,600 annually.

College Township

Of College Township’s five council members, none are provided health insurance by the municipality. Assistant township manager Mike Bloom told the CDT in an email that the discussion of council members receiving insurance came up once before.

“To my knowledge, in the last 25+ years, there was only one instance where this topic was raised at College Township,” Bloom wrote. “This request, which we believe occurred in the late 1990s, resulted in an investigation by staff to determine what options for council member insurance coverage existed. Staff completed the investigation, but ultimately it did not result in the township council implementing a policy or providing any council members with insurance.”

Ferguson Township

Ferguson Township does not provide health insurance to any of its five supervisors, assistant township manager Jaymes Progar wrote in an email.

Halfmoon Township

There are five supervisors on Halfmoon Township’s board, and township clerk Amy Clark wrote in an email to the CDT that none one of them accept health insurance offered by the township.

She added that throughout her 22 years working for the township, no supervisor has taken advantage of the benefit.

Harris Township

Harris Township’s board of supervisors is composed of five members, and manager Mark Boeckel wrote in an email to the CDT that none of the supervisors receive health insurance from the municipality.

“Harris Township does not have a policy in place to allow our supervisors to receive health insurance,” Boeckel wrote. “None of the supervisors receive health insurance from the township, and we’ve not had any requests from any supervisor for such coverage.”

Patton Township

Patton Township also does not provide its five supervisors with health insurance benefits, and according to manager Amy Farkas, the topic has not been discussed at any prior meetings.

Potter Township

In Potter Township, the board of supervisors is composed of five members, and according to Supervisor Ryan Newman, the talk of health insurance being provided for supervisors has not come up.

“Potter Township has not voted to obtain insurance or benefits for the supervisors in the last few years, and to the best of our knowledge the township has not provided insurance to the supervisors in the past,” Newman wrote in an email.

Rush Township

Rush Township joins Boggs Township in being the only two townships of the 10 surveyed that provides their supervisors with health insurance. According to a Right-to-Know request answered by the township earlier this year, the municipality provides all three of its supervisors with health insurance.

Two of the supervisors — Pat Romano and Jason Vaux — are non-employee supervisors and had to submit request letters to receive their coverage. Supervisor David Jackson is employed as the township’s roadmaster, meaning that he’s entitled to the coverage.

Jackson also receives a Medicare supplement, which lowers his monthly premium cost.

According to information provided in the RTK request, Romano’s monthly premium sits at $4,444, Vaux’s sits at $2,593 and Jackson’s is $390. In total the three supervisors’ insurance costs the township around $89,000 annually. It was not shared how many dependents are on each supervisors’ plan.

Spring Township

Like many other townships across the area, Spring Township does not provide its three supervisors with health insurance, and manager Mike Danneker said that the township does not have a policy addressing that matter.

Snow Shoe Township

Snow Shoe Township is composed of three supervisors, and it was confirmed by supervisors Rodney Preslovich and John Yecina in a phone interview earlier this year that none of the supervisors there received health insurance benefits from the township.