AUBURN -- The county legislator who originally proposed the idea of cutting legislator health benefits, voted against his own idea Monday night, requesting additional information.

Legislator David Pappert, R-Auburn, recently sought legislative support to cut medical, hospital, surgical and dental insurance coverage to newly elected and appointed Cayuga County Legislators as of Sept. 1 as a way to save taxpayers roughly $200,000 annually.

Legislators defeated 5-1, a bill to cut the benefits during the Government Operations Committee Monday night.

In his original letter to legislators, Pappert wrote that the cost of providing benefits is greater than the total of all legislative salaries and stipends given to the chairman, majority/minority leader and the committee chairs combined.

Following much debate about the bill, only Dan Schuster, D-Auburn, voted to cut the benefits. Schuster currently doesn't accept the insurance coverage the county offers.

Several legislators disagreed on the idea that current legislators will be allowed to keep their benefits but that new members won't have it at all.

"Personally I think it should be one way or the other," said Fran Mitchell, Government Operations chairman.

Read the full report in Tuesday's edition of The Citizen.