Orange County Commissioners unanimously vote in favor of domestic partner benefits

The Orange County Commission is so in favor of domestic partner benefits for county employees that they almost approved the motion twice.

After the usual proclamations and public comment, Mayor Teresa Jacobs called for a vote on the proposal. All commissioners quickly voted â┚¬Å”aye,â┚¬Â none voting â┚¬Å”nay,â┚¬Â before Commissioner Ted Edwards and County Comptroller Martha Haynie cut in, mentioning that they would like to make some comments. Ten minutes later the commissioners voted again and officially approved the motion unanimously, with benefits taking effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

â┚¬Å”It is somewhat complicated from a tax and administrative standpoint,â┚¬Â said Haynie. â┚¬Å”We'll do everything we can to make sure everyone is treated fairly, but please bear with us as we work through implementation.â┚¬Â

In their pre-vote comments, many commissioners took the time to recognize Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who led the effort in 2008 to extend benefits to same sex domestic partners of city employees, and former Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart, who crusaded on behalf of same sex partners of county employees. Sheehan and Stewart were the first to speak in favor of the benefits.

â┚¬Å”It's not the same as marriage, but it makes things a little more fair,â┚¬Â Sheehan said.

She added that only seven city employees have taken advantage of the domestic partner benefits, and the cost is less than 1/1000th of 1 percent of the city's budget.

â┚¬Å”This brings Orange County into the mainstream,â┚¬Â Stewart said. â┚¬Å”I hope more businesses will come because of [domestic partner benefits] and I think they will.â┚¬Â

She called the vote â┚¬Å”historic.â┚¬Â

Mayor Jacobs also recognized Orlando attorney and LGBT activist Mary Meeks.

â┚¬Å”Mary has been working behind the scenes with our legal staff,â┚¬Â Jacobs said.

Meeks commented that the fight for equality â┚¬Å”is still a very painful process for us,â┚¬Â noting that heterosexual couples automatically get hundreds of rights and benefits that are not afforded to same sex couples.

â┚¬Å”I truly believe our families are the same,â┚¬Â Meeks said. â┚¬Å”We all love our families and we all need the same rights and benefits to take care of our families.â┚¬Â

One speaker encouraged the commissioners to vote against domestic partner benefits, calling gay couples â┚¬Å”unnatural, an affront.â┚¬Â In the speakers request form he listed his name as â┚¬Å”Charles Norris,â┚¬Â also the name of a well-known conservative actor and television personality.

â┚¬Å”Sodomites have no right to be given support,â┚¬Â the speaker said. â┚¬Å”It is not justice that is being served by this, it is a crime against God himself.â┚¬Â

Orlando filmmaker and LGBT activist Vicki Nantz showed a photo of what she said is Orlando's typical gay family.

â┚¬Å”The majority of gay families are led by two middle aged women, often African American or Latino,â┚¬Â she said, mentioning that about half take care of children.

There was also large college and university representation at the meeting. Student speakers from UCF and Barry University spoke in support of the benefits, and a Rollins instructor brought her entire â┚¬Å”Solidarity, Equality, Communityâ┚¬Â class to the meeting.

After the public speakers, Jacobs deftly rearranged the agenda so that the vote on domestic partner benefits would follow.

The county's Human Resources Director, J. Richard Daye, outlined the proposal. Daye said his department surveyed 18 public employers and found that half offer domestic partner benefits. He said the City of Orlando offers the best local comparison.

16,121 Orange County employees and retirees currently receive benefits. Daye said the anticipated costs are less than one percent of the total benefits cost. The cost per domestic partner would be about the same as the current cost of a spouse: $4,754.

Benefits to be provided include: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, COBRA, bereavement leave, domestic violence leave and the employee assistance program, which covers various counseling and referral services.

To be covered, domestic partners must be at least 18 years old and in a committed, long-term relationship.

They cannot be married or in a domestic partnership with anyone else and they must prove they are responsible for each other's financial welfare via two notarized documents.

Mayor Jacobs pointed out that opposite-sex couples are not included because they have the option of marriage.

â┚¬Å”I believe this policy is fair and I think tolerance is something that this community needs to be better at,â┚¬Â Jacobs said.

Commissioner Jennifer Thompson encouraged the county to progress even further.

â┚¬Å”I would not start a business, raise a family, or live in a community that wasn't tolerant,â┚¬Â she said. â┚¬Å”Let's take the next step and look at a domestic partner registry.â┚¬Â

Mayor Jacobs affirmed that the county would move forward with consideration of such a registry.