The city of Toledo, Ohio has approved
an ordinance which extends benefits to the partners of gay city
workers.
The legislation, approved June 19,
extends benefits to the partners of city employees – gay or
straight – who have registered with Toledo's domestic partner
registry, which started in 2007.
In introducing the measure, Mayor Mike
Bell, who previously has not expressed support for gay marriage, said
such benefits would help make the city competitive.
“What we're trying to do is bring our
city, from the standpoint of human resources and affirmative-action
policies, in line with what's happening nationally,” Bell said.
“We're not the first train pulling out of the station here, we're
actually in a way trying to catch up with the policies that make
companies and cities competitive in the state of Ohio.”
Ohio cities Cleveland and Columbus have
similar registries and offer benefits to the domestic partners of
employees. Other cities, including Cincinnati, and counties –
Cuyahoga, Franklin and Lucas – offer similar benefits.
According to gay bi-weekly the Gay
People's Chronicle, domestic partner benefits are expected to
add 1.4 percent to the city's benefits budget.