MOORPARK : Council Delays Vote on Health Insurance

Moorpark City Council members have delayed consideration of a plan to spend about $30,000 in city funds to buy themselves health insurance after a council majority said they don’t support the move at this time.

A proposal to offer city-financed health insurance to council members and their families was considered Wednesday as part of a broader discussion on health benefits for city workers, Mayor Paul Lawrason said.

Moorpark council members currently receive a monthly honorarium of $300 and partial reimbursement for expenses, officials said.

Lawrason said the proposal for city-financed health insurance for the council, which was offered by Councilman Scott Montgomery, was tabled but would be considered during the city’s 1993-94 budget deliberations this month.

But the matter is unlikely to survive budget deliberations, since Lawrason and Councilmen Bernardo Perez and John Wozniak have said they do not favor granting themselves the option of health insurance now.

“I think it can be justified and warranted, but timing is everything and I’d have to say that at this particular time I don’t feel it’s appropriate,” Wozniak said. “Not with the budget crunch that we’re facing.”