Commissioners vote for broad partnership benefits

On a 2-1 vote Monday, Whitman County commissioners decided to go beyond the statutory mandates set out by the voter approved Referendum 71 and extend health insurance benefits to unwed domestic partners under the age of 62.

Passed in November, the referendum mandated that public agencies extend benefits to domestic partners identified as same-sex couples and unwed couples in which one partner is over the age of 62.

Commissioner Michael Largent cast the dissenting vote, saying it would be a mistake to provide benefits to unmarried couples when the county is struggling to balance its budget.

“Philosophically, extending benefits such as these is, I think, problematic,” he said. “Particularly in a time of such tight budgets, I just can’t understand why we would do that.” Commissioner Greg Partch defended his vote, saying the measure provides another layer of benefits to employees with very little impact to the county budget.

“It’s so tight right now we aren’t giving raises to our non-rep employees,” said Partch. “If we can extend a benefit without costing the county too much, why not do it?”

The only cost to the county could be to insure a domestic partner of a deputy. Under a 2007 contract with the county deputies association, the county pays 60 percent of the medical insurance costs of the families of deputies. Under Tuesday’s vote, a domestic partner would be considered family.

All other county employees have to bear insurance costs for spouses and families, and now for any domestic partner, out of their own pockets.

To obtain the benefits, couples would have to show the county proof they have registered as a domestic partnership with the state Secretary of State.