Today, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that Perry County Councilor Keith Huck failed to demonstrate a reasonable likelihood of winning his lawsuit. He claimed that the Perry County Board of Commissioners acted improperly when ending County-paid health insurance benefits for part-time elected County officials and other part-time employees. The Court of Appeals found that the trial court, under Special Judge Justin Mills, made an error in concluding that Councilor Huck was entitled to a preliminary injunction. This injunction would have required the County to continue providing his County-funded health insurance benefits while his lawsuit against the County regarding his health insurance continued.
On June 5, 2023, the Perry County Board of Commissioners voted to terminate health insurance benefits for all part-time employees and elected officials of the County, effective January 1, 2024. This decision affected elected officials like the Board of Commissioners and the Perry County Council members, as well as other part-time employees. The decision was made due to the significant cost to Perry County taxpayers. Commissioner Randy Cole, President of the Perry Board of Commissioners, stated, “As elected officials, we have to be careful about spending the taxpayers’ money. Given the costs associated with providing health insurance to part-time employees, a majority of the Commissioners determined that because state law gave us the option to end the insurance coverage, it was in the best financial interest of the taxpayers to make that decision.” Commissioner Cole also noted that the County’s cost of providing insurance for Councilor Huck was several times his annual salary.
Councilor Huck now has 45 days to decide whether to appeal the decision to the Indiana Supreme Court. For further information, individuals can contact Tony Overholt at FROST BROWN TODD, who represents the County on this issue.
