To the editor:
Mayor Spano’s budget calling for a tax increase of over 5%, averaging $551 for homeowners, is a significant amount for many. And a big chunk of this is to pay for rising health insurance costs. Nowhere in the story is there any indication that workers are contributing more. If not, then they should be. And if not this year, then make increasing health care costs part of future contract negotiations. Whether one has insurance through an employer, through Medicare, or is paying out of pocket, the costs go up for individuals each year. Yonkers residents should not also have to pay the 9% health insurance increase for city workers on top of what they already pay for themselves.
John Farrell, Yonkers