Cesternino wants to change council benefits

Lebanon City Councilor Rob Cesternino is remains determined to reform a benefits package available to former council members.

He said while he has no problem with current councilors being on the city's benefits plan, he thinks changes need to be made going forward.

Lebanon City Councilor Rob Cesternino is remains determined to reform a benefits package available to former council members.
He said while he has no problem with current councilors being on the city's benefits plan, he thinks changes need to be made going forward.
"Once elected, city councilors are entitled to the same benefits as any other city employee," he said. "Some people say it's just a part-time job, but I say it's not part-time when I'm taking calls on the job, or answering questions when I'm shopping or at the gym."
Cesternino said his concerns stem from the city's policy of allowing former councilors to receive benefits. As it stands, former council members who have served two consecutive terms are eligible to return to the city's benefits rolls when they are 62 and stay there for the rest of their lives. They can get family coverage for a fee.
"Now if a person serves no more than two terms, then moves to Florida, years later they are eligible for benefits even if they are no longer residents of Wilson County," Cesternino said.
He said he might propose the bar for continued benefits be raised with councilors needing to serve three consecutive terms and be 65 to go back on the city's benefits rolls, but nothing is set in stone.
"I'm not an all or nothing kind of guy," Cesternino said. "I believe in compromise, and with compromise everybody feels some pain."
He stressed he doesn't want any changes to affect current or former council members, but he does want new councilors to have limits placed on their benefits eligibility.
"I don't know if I can get what I want," he said.
City attorney Andy Wright confirmed the current arrangement for former Lebanon councilors is in place, but he noted one county away, city councilors have an even better deal.
"In Metro [Nashville], if a person serves two consecutive terms, they are eligible for full benefits for life immediately after they leave office." Wright said. "There have been two bills proposed to stop that, but since the Metro council members are the ones who have to vote for it, it hasn't passed. So it could be a lot worse."