The Columbia Association should bring village staff back into the organization?sfold for health insurance and salary consistency, said some association and village board members.
“It will require some political will; it will require some good will,” said CA board member Patrick von Schlag at a recent meeting, who called on members to “consider a radical shift [and] repatriate all village staff as CA employees.”
Each of Columbia?s nine villages and the Town Center, all of which are independent nonprofit organizations, manage and pay their own staff, who were considered CA employees for health benefits several years ago.
The villages receive funding from CA, as well as some revenue through renting facilities, such as Wilde Lake?s Slayton House.
CA Board Member Miles Coffman said the CA and the villages need to have this discussion, but a system must be in place that allows villages to retain staff control.
“The village board still needs to be the deciding factor on staff rather than the CA,” he said.
CA Board Member Phil Marcus said the variation in size of rentable space in the villages leads to inconsistencies in the amount of money they can raise.
At Town Center, the village has one staff member with medical insurance, and the CA has been amenable to increasing funding to the village to cover the expense, said Town Center Manager Patricia Laidig.
“They have been very helpful [with getting] insurance coverage since the separation,” she said.
The reason behind the separation, which happened around 2000, was unclear, and many board members didn?t recall the impetus behind the change. CA staff could not be reached for comment.
Wilde Lake Village board Chairwoman Rhoda Toback said von Schlag?s suggestion was “right on the mark.”
A cross-village system would provide consistency for staff reviews and appraisals, as well as more equity when it comes to rewarding staff, she said.
“Our village manager is always having to navigate all financial issues that weren?t there before,” Toback said.
