KXO RADIO - IID - No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

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Todays is : Friday, 09 January 2009

Written by George Gale
Tuesday, 06 June 2006
(NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED)...THAT WAS HOW IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT GENERAL COUNSEL JEFF GARBER PREFACED HIS COMMENTS ON ALLEGATIONS THAT JOHN CARTER AND ORLANDO FOOTE, BOTH CONTRACT ATTORNIES WITH THE DISTRICT, HAD BEEN ALLOWED HEALTH INSURANCE WITH THE DISTRICT SINCE 1969. IN HIS COMMENTS, GARBER SAID THE ALLEGATIONS WERE TRUE. HE SAID IT WAS ALSO TRUE THE TWO HAD PAID NO PREMIUMS UNTIL THE LATE 1980'S, FOR ONE, AND THE LATE 1990'S FOR THE OTHER. THEY DID PAY RETIREE INSURANCE PAYMENTS AFTER THAT, UNTIL THE CURRENT IID BOARD CUT THE BENEFITS AT THE END OF 2005. GARBER SAID THE TWO ATTORNEIS HAD NOT PAID PREMIUMS BECAUSE NO PREMIUMS WERE CHARGED AT THE TIME. HE SAID THE DISTRICT IS SELF INSURED, AND NOBODY UNDER THE PLAN PAYS PREMIUMS. GARBER SAID IT IS TRUE NO OTHER CONTRACT EMPLOYEE WAS EVER OFFERED HEALTH INSURANCE, BUT THERE WAS NEVER ANY BOARD POLICY AGAINST SUCH ACTION. IID BOARD PRESIDENT ANDY HORNE SUGGESTED SUCH A POLICY SHOULD PROBABLY BE ADOPTED NOW. GARBER SAID FURTHER ISSUES, SUCH AS THE POSSIBILITY OF COLLECTING ANY FUNDS FROM EITHER FOOTE OR CARTER, OR POSSIBLY BOTH, WAS A SUBJECT TO BE DISCUSSED IN CLOSED SESSION, BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF LITIGATION. DIRECTOR JOHN PIERRE MENVIELLE, WHO BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO THE BOARD, SAID TUESDAY MOST OF HIS QUESTIONS WOULD BE MADE IN CLOSED SESSION. THE BOARD TOOK NO ACTION ON THE ISSUE, UNTIL AFTER CLOSED SESSION DISCUSSIONS.