Taylorsville City Council members are scheduled to hold a public hearing Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. to consider using $13,000 in their 2005-06 budget to fund partial benefits for themselves.

Midvale is weighing the same issue.

"Our tentative budget would provide for health and medical benefits for council members as though they were full-time employees," Laurie Harvey, Midvale's finance director, said Monday.

On June 21, the Midvale City Council will finalize its budget and vote on city-funded council benefits.

Murray's City Council members go without unless they pay extra.

"We do not provide medical or dental benefits. They [council members] have the option when they come on to have those deducted from their pay. So far, no one has opted for that," said Dale Whittle, Murray's human resource director.

Other Utah cities vary in how they deal with the issue. Comprehensive data are not available from the Utah League of Cities and Towns.

"We don't track that information so I don't know what other cities are doing in terms of benefits," said ULCT budget analyst Kerri Nakamura.

Sandy's council members, although part-time, qualify for medical and dental coverage as if they were full-time city employees.

South Salt Lake takes a similar approach.

"Medical benefits are fully paid as far as single coverage," said Sonya Crouch, the city's human resource officer. "Dental insurance is only partially paid for all our employees."

Draper, like Murray, does not fund benefits for its City Council.

"We did not even consider it in budget sessions. We feel that full-time employees get those kinds of benefits and council members are part-time and don't qualify," said Draper Mayor Darrell Smith.

Like the Draper council, Smith is part-time and gets no health insurance through the city.

West Valley City also treats its seven-member council like full-time employees when it comes to medical and dental insurance, with the city picking up 80 percent of the tab.

Bountiful does the same, offering full-time medical benefits to its council. But the city offers no dental benefits.

"The council ultimately has the authority to establish rules and regulations in this regard," said Bountiful City Manager Tom Hardy. "Several years ago they decided that [medical insurance] would be an eligible benefit and there's been no discussion since then."

Bountiful's benefits also fluctuate with the makeup of the City Council.

"If the council member is retired, they are not eligible for our medical benefits because they get Medicare," Hardy said.

cmckitrick@sltrib.com