For years, Benson offered generous fringe benefits to town employees—tuition reimbursement, longevity bonuses, and $100 payments for health physicals and athletic shoes. These perks might be going away, as the town of 4,500 in Johnston County tries to plug a $578,000 hole in its budget.
Town commissioners got their first look Tuesday night at a slimmed-down spending plan for the remainder of the fiscal year. It follows a July spending review by former State Auditor Beth Wood which showed unpaid invoices, un-mailed checks, and missing reimbursements. She also warned that the cost of employee benefits could put a further strain on town finances.
A new budget proposed by interim Town Manager Steve Harrell would save $259,865 by eliminating four open positions—a line technician for the town-run electric utility, an executive assistant, a public service specialist, and a police sergeant. Harrell also asked the North Carolina League of Municipalities to conduct a comprehensive audit.
“The league will cover the expense of the audit,” he said. The organization will also provide a kind of financial mentor to the town to help it achieve long-term stability.
Commissioners also heard a long presentation from human resources director Scott Tart, who took a deep dive into the benefits offered to town employees. In addition to the usual health, retirement, and workers compensation plans, Benson also offers wellness perks. For example, town employees can get up to $100 for buying a new pair of sneakers.
“You'll see that in fiscal year '25, there were 25 employees who used that benefit. So it was about $2,500,” Tart said.
Some commissioners balked at this item, unaware that the town has offered the benefit for years.
“So, this is just leisure (shoes)?” Mayor Pro Tem Cassandra Stack asked Tart. “This is not like for public works that need work shoes, like steel toes?”
“This is a wellness program, yes,” Tart replied. He said the reimbursement was in place when began working for the town in 2019.
Benson also pays for memberships to three local gyms. Employees can also get a $100 payment if they show proof of a health physical.
“We don't want to know what's right with you. We don't want to know what's wrong with you,” Tart explained. “We just want to know that know that you had a had a physical. If you bring that proof in, then you'll get $100 for that.”
Another problem Wood identified in her spending review was money spent by the town that should have been reimbursed. She said Benson may have spent money that was eligible for reimbursement but never got the money back. Harrell said his staff is starting the process to secure these reimbursements.
Commissioners will discuss the revised budget later this month, with the goal of adopting a new plan by the end of September.
Several Benson residents attended the meeting and expressed frustration at the lack of transparency and financial accountability. Max Raynor, who was named interim mayor after the death of longtime mayor Jerry Medlin in November, took responsibility for poor decisions.
“I feel most responsible because the buck stops with me,” he said at the end of the three-hour meeting. “We're going to do the best we can to do better than this.”
