GATESVILLE – At an emergency meeting held here, the Gates County Board of Commissioners changed the post-employment medical insurance coverage of seven locally elected officials.

According to information provided by County Manager Jon Mendenhall, the county will provide, at its expense, medical insurance coverage for elected officials who retire or are otherwise honorably separated from office after Oct. 9, 2013.

The elected officials qualifying for post-employment medical insurance are required to serve four, full consecutive (four-year) terms in Gates County to become eligible. Those officials include the five members of the Board of County Commissioners, the County Sheriff, and the County Register of Deeds.

Additional stipulations to meet the county-paid medical insurance requirements include:

Elected officials currently covered under other actions of the Board of County Commissioners currently in office on Oct. 9, 2013 shall receive the benefit of that coverage (e.g. three-term coverage) should they qualify for said benefit during their consecutive tenure in office;

The county will pay for the retiree’s individual medical coverage, but in no instance will this benefit exceed the cost of an active employee’s individual coverage;

When a retired employee covered under this benefit becomes eligible for Medicare, the county’s medical plan coverage becomes secondary to Medicare;

Should an elected official meet the terms of this policy, but otherwise fail to serve their tenure in office with honor, then such elected official shall not be entitled to the benefits enumerated herein. Dishonorable service shall be interpreted to mean: conviction of a felony, conviction of a crime of moral turpitude, admonished by the Board of County Commissioners, and/or forcibly removed from office by actions of the Governor; and

The Gates County Board of Commissioners may amend or repeal this policy at any time.

By resolution, the commissioners adopted the policy, stating they desire to, “implement a uniform policy of medical insurance coverage for elected officials post employment to acknowledge the sacrifice of public servants and the need for post employment medical insurance coverage amongst various elected officials.”