After learning Center Township’s budget for 2025 included over $154,000 in health insurance benefits for its supervisors, I surveyed the other 32 townships in Butler County.

Twenty-two townships do not offer any health insurance benefits to their elected boards. The other 10 townships offer some form of health insurance benefits at a combined budgeted cost of $223,000 (or $22,000 per township on average). Center Township’s share alone makes up a staggering 40% of the total cost county wide.

While most township boards consist of three members, only five townships have five members like Center Township does. It is noteworthy that none of the other five-member boards offer health insurance benefits to their board members.

Center Township taxpayers have been footing the bill for health insurance benefits for most of their supervisors and their immediate families for over 20 years and I believe it’s past time for this unwarranted spending to stop.

There are six Republican candidates running for supervisor. Incumbent Alan Smallwood and former Supervisor Ronald Flatt have both voted themselves health insurance benefits in the past and are likely to again if given the opportunity. Retiring Supervisor Robert Sloan’s son-in-law, Nick Angiolieri, both support health insurance at taxpayer expense.

Fortunately, candidate Randy Corlew will definitely decline health benefits for himself and Mark Lauer and Michael Pflugh have also said they already have them and do not currently intend to apply for them.

Voters should keep this issue in mind when voting this spring.

Gary Rauschenberger, Center Township