Williamsport City Council has nixed its health insurance coverage next year, saving the taxpayers an estimated $90,000-plus.

The city’s proposed budget has a half-mill real estate tax increase in it. Council holds its first budget reading on Dec. 4.

“City Council will be under a different compensation structure,” said Council President Adam Yoder during an initial budget work session.

“It is $10,000 per council member, however, they do not have a health insurance benefit,” he said.

The council president’s salary in 2025 was $3,500; vice president, $3,250 and $3,000 for council.

Additionally, council’s budget shows there were decreases in contracts with the legislative contingency fund in alignment with either historical items or contracts that are no longer needed.

The net savings is just under $200,000, driven largely by the change in compensation structure, Yoder said.

Councilwoman Liz Miele asked Donna Fuller, city human resources officer, if there were any sort of movement underway that might allow council to purchase health insurance through the city, a question Fuller said she will get back to council on with information.

Miele said she thought that would be great as she is a small business owner who was never provided with health insurance. Miele said she was assuming others on council had coverage for themselves. She said she asked for herself and for anyone on council who also might be interested in the answer.

Fuller said she was not an insurance agent, but could say what the city would charge for current health insurance and point the council in the right direction.

Councilwoman Bonnie Katz said she was in the “same boat as Miele.”

“We paid for our insurance from the get-go,” Katz said.

Miele said she was one of the council members who voted that the council should not receive it.

“I’m in agreement with that because I don’t think it is befitting the nature of our position, because there was a pretty wide array of values for that plan for City Council depending on to what extent you took advantage of it,” Miele said.

Miele also asked if it might be possible to offer health insurance to part-time city employees as insurance costs are expected to go through the roof next year. She suggested it might be a huge thing that the city could do to attract part-time positions as well as elected officials.

Veteran Councilman Randy Allison, who will not be on council next year, observed how the medical insurance coverage council received way back cost pennies to the dollar, but, he added, as insurance grew into the “monster that it is now, it inflated benefits, so we did the right thing.”

Doing some quick math, he said, “We are saving the city about $90,000, a little over that.”

“It was well timed, thank you.”