Kenosha County supervisors are rolling back a boost to their own health insurance benefits.

The County Board voted 27-1 Tuesday to uphold County Executive Jim Kreuser’s veto of a budget amendment that relieved supervisors from having to pay a portion of their insurance premiums.

Supervisor Shavonda Marks cast the lone vote to override the veto, even though she voted against last week’s motion to enhance supervisors’ benefits. She declined to comment after the meeting.

Board Chairman Joe Clark preceded the vote with a lengthy speech about the board’s positive accomplishments during recent years.

“We are working; this county is working,” Clark said. “We have held the line. We have a proven record.”

Kreuser on Friday vetoed the budget amendment the board made last Tuesday, increasing the county’s subsidy of supervisor health insurance premiums to 100 percent. The veto restored the previously budgeted level of an 85 percent county subsidy and a 15 percent supervisor contribution.

The amendment had a $50,573 impact on the budget. The county’s budget for supervisor insurance, with the 85 percent subsidy in place, is $286,586.

Supervisors approved the amendment on a 14-13 vote late in last week’s budget adoption meeting, after earlier discussions about significantly reducing or eliminating board health insurance benefits.

Along with the ability to enroll in the county health plan, supervisors receive a $6,000 annual salary.

Upon announcing his veto, Kreuser said he was acting in the spirit of the shared sacrifices most county employees are making to help balance a $5 million 2010 budget deficit.

‘Responsible’ board

In his message to the board, Clark said he conducted a 13-county comparison after last week’s vote, finding Kenosha County is roughly in the middle of the pack when it comes to board expenses.

Clark also touted the various accomplishments of the board, including holding the tax levy to average annual increases of 3.14 percent since 2004, which he said has resulted in county taxes on an average home increasing just $24 during that time.

The chairman said he stands by all of the board’s decisions during that time, except for last week’s health insurance vote, which he opposed.

“Tonight, we take the first step forward in restoring the trust that citizens have in Kenosha County,” Clark said.

Supervisors speak

Supervisor Mark Molinaro Jr. apologized to taxpayers, voters and county employees for his vote in favor of the insurance hike last week.

While he criticized the Kenosha News and other news media for quoting him out of context last week, he said the fact remains that he cast an ill-conceived, ill-timed vote.

Molinaro said he believes discussion of supervisor compensation should occur in the board’s committee process, rather than on the floor during budget adoption.

“I cast a vote, a vote that needs to be overturned this evening, out of anger and frustration,” Molinaro said. “Frustration because of the grandstanding by a supervisor or two that takes place every year during the budget debate. Anger because the grandstanding had fallen to a new low.”

Supervisor Jennifer Jackson, who offered to make a motion to reconsider the vote before Kreuser’s veto, said she believes the board learned a valuable lesson.

“I think, in the future, we’ve learned that being rash and reactionary is not the way to go,” Jackson said.

Supervisor Richard Kessler said he failed last week to vote in the best interests of his constituents and their pocketbooks.

Dayvin Hallmon, who last week moved to eliminate the insurance benefit entirely, offered a word of warning to the board Tuesday.

“I support the veto,” he said. “But I want it to be known that the act of restoring trust is a process.”