CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After some consideration, the Montgomery County Commission pulled a resolution that would enable themselves to opt-in to the same health insurance benefits as other full-time county employees.
After the proposal received mixed reactions at last week’s informal meeting, the sponsor, Commissioner Jason Knight, said he was the one who pulled the resolution from the consent agenda, because he didn’t want to send the wrong message.
During the meeting, Knight said the spirit and intent of the proposal had been misunderstood. He said the intent of the proposal was to only allow the commissioners to opt-in if they needed to do so, specifically, to what’s already available to full-time employees.
Knight told Clarksville Now the resolution wouldn’t even apply to him due to the benefits he already receives from his time in the military.
Knight pointed out that the changes would not have taken effect until Sept. 1, 2026, so the health insurance benefits would serve as an incentive for members of the local community to run for office, too.
“The resolution is an issue that deserves consideration, and as a taxpayer, no one should be discriminated against in regard to access to healthcare that’s affordable,” Knight said. “Moving forward, however, I think we need to look at providing health care to our part-time employees, so that’ll be something I’ll be looking into.”
Clarksville Now has reached out to Montgomery County for additional information on part-time employee health care.