Friday, May 11,
2001
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Domestic partner issues may face Fulton board By JOHN
THOMPSON
DeKalb County's approval of domestic partners benefits for its employees may wind up setting off a chain reaction in Fulton County. The new policy in DeKalb allows unmarried partners of heterosexual and homosexual partners to use their partners' county benefits such as health insurance. In South Fulton County, East Point officials are on the brink of also passing the benefits program. Officials had planned to have it on this past Monday's agenda, but a spokesman in East Point said the county's attorney is still trying to work out the final details for the program. East Point is self-insured, so the program is a little more complicated than letting a regular insurance company handle the issue, the spokesman said. In Fulton County, Commission Chairman Mike Kenn's spokesman Michael Harris was surprised that DeKalb passed the program, but said Kenn could not comment on the matter. Closer to home, County Commissioner Bill Edwards said he expects the issue to come before the commission soon. "I'm not a judgmental person. I don't discriminate against a person because of their sexual preference. If it's the right thing to do, we'll do it," he said. In evaluating any proposal, Edwards said he has to look at all the information and determine if it's in the best interests of the county. He said the county had not run any preliminary estimates on what it would cost the county, but said he is open to discussion.
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