The township council has said goodbye to its township manager.
Members of the council and Mayor Randy Brown honored Tom Czerniecki for his years of service to Evesham. Flanked by his wife and children, Czerniecki was awarded a special proclamation thanking him and wishing him well as he moves forward as the Eastampton township manager.
Czerniecki is a resident of Eastampton Township, and he previously said he took the job to be closer to his family.
Czerniecki came to Evesham in 2007 and was named “manager of the year” for the state in 2010.
Interim Township Manager Bill Cromie has stepped into Czerniecki’s role until a permanent manager can be found.
Meanwhile, Cromie reported the township is looking to institute its new healthcare program by March 1.
“It’s a program that has rarely been done on a municipal level. It’s been modeled at the county level. The difference is the county still pays for their insurance after they retire; we don’t in Evesham,” Brown said. “It can be an even more lucrative plan for our taxpayers than the county’s, because we don’t have to hold on to pay their insurance as the county does. The county has shown some savings, I think we’ll have more due in large part to our retirees.”
If the program is initiated, the township would take all of the money it currently pays for health insurance premiums and put it into a large employee pool. The township will hire a third party to manage the pool of insurance premium money. The way the program would work is an employee would put in a claim for a health benefits — and it would be taken out of the employee pool.
The township would cover the insurance premium costs until the employee reaches a certain threshold, and then the insurance policy would begin for the employee. It’s basically as if the township is creating its own insurance company.
In other township news:
Members of the council approved an ordinance authorizing the purchase of 9.4 acres for the purpose of open space along Church Road.
Brown previously reported the land would be used for passive open space or a “working farm” in the future. It would not be used for active open space, he said.
