Mesa Offers Lifetime Medical Benefits to All Eligible City Employees

Mesa Offers Lifetime Medical Benefits to All Eligible City Employees 

 Mesa, AZ – Mesa is offering lifetime medical benefits for all eligible full-time employees, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Access to lifetime medical insurance coverage adds to Mesa's already competitive salaries and benefits package, allowing the City to recruit and retain talented employees who want to build a career in the public sector.

 "The Mesa Way has always been to take care of our employees by offering competitive salaries and benefits so they can take care of themselves and their families," said Mesa City Manager Chris Brady. "Bringing back the lifetime health benefits is an extension of our focus on the health and wellness of our employees. It starts with free primary and pediatric care at our employee Mesa Health and Wellness Center and continues with medical coverage once our employees have retired from Mesa." 

 Lifetime benefits are not new to Mesa. The City provided this benefit to eligible employees before Jan. 1, 2009, when the City had to cut $62 million from the General Fund, eliminating lifetime benefits for new hires. Today's announcement ensures everyone hired since can receive lifetime medical coverage after completing 20 years of service with the City, with at least ten consecutive years of employment with the City immediately before retirement. Additionally, employees must be retired from the City of Mesa to be eligible for post-retirement health insurance. 

 "The Valley is experiencing a very competitive job market," added Mr. Brady. "We aim to recruit individuals committed to public service and reward those who have dedicated their professional careers to serving Mesa residents and businesses." 

 As with current employees, the City covers 80% of eligible retirees' insurance premiums for medical, dental and vision coverage. Mesa currently has more than 2,200 retirees receiving retirement medical benefits. Approximately 70% of Mesa's nearly 3,900 full-time employees have been hired since Jan. 1, 2009, and could be eligible for retirement medical benefits starting in 2029.

Silent Witness Tip Leads to Arrest

On August 1, 2022, the Mesa Police Department asked the public for help in identifying a man who pointed a gun at a woman’s face and then fired a handgun from his vehicle at another person on May 12, 2022. The crime occurred at a business in the area of Gilbert Rd/ U.S. 60 Mesa, AZ. Police identified the man as 33-year-old Greg Gomez through a Silent Witness tip and finally placed him under arrest yesterday, September 7, 2022.

On May 12, 2022, Mesa Police Officers responded to a shots fired call at 1559 S. Gilbert Rd (Native Grill & Wings). An employee told officers that while she was throwing the trash away in an outside dumpster, a man approached her and pointed a gun toward her face. He then ran away and got into a vehicle.

Officers spoke to a customer who said the man was inside the restaurant at the same time as him and when he walked outside to smoke a cigarette, the man started to drive his vehicle toward him, while firing several rounds from a gun in his direction.

About thirty people were inside the restaurant at the time of the shooting and officers located bullet strikes in the building structure. Surveillance video was obtained and corroborated both victims accounts of what happened.

On August 1, 2022, the Mesa Police Department asked Silent Witness for help in disseminating information to the public and asking for any information on the man’s identity. These pictures were provided in the flyer.

Suspect

Suspect vehicle

After receiving a tip through Silent Witness, the officer put together a photo line up of the suspected person and succeeded in positively identifying the suspect as 33-year-old Greg Gomez.

On September 7, 2022, Gomez was taken into custody. He was charged with the following and held on a $25,000 bond.

2 counts ARS 13-1209A; Drive by Shooting, a class 2 felony

2 counts ARS 13-1204A2; Aggravated Assault, a class 3 felony

2 counts ARS 13-2904A6; Disorderly Conduct, a class 6 felony

2 counts ARS 13-3107A; Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, a class 6 felony

Greg Gomez Mug Shot

What is Mesa Police Department’s Involvement with the 287(g) Program?

The 287(g) program serves as an immigration enforcement partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies.

On November 19, 2009, the Mesa Police Department (MPD) signed the first 287(g) Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The current 287(g) MOA went into effect on June 8, 2020 and will remain in effect until either party terminates or suspends the agreement. So, why discuss this now, years after the agreement went into effect?

Once every 3 years, a steering committee meets to discuss the 287(g) program. Because of the amount of time between meetings, the 287(g) program is often an afterthought that gets brought back into the community spotlight and gives the MPD a reason to explain it better to our residents.

The 287(g) program does not allow Mesa Police Officers to proactively search for and arrest undocumented immigrants. So, what does it allow?

In the MPD, specifically the holding facility, there is one Designated Immigration Officer (DIO). If a person shows markers of being an undocumented immigrant through the normal booking process, the DIO will perform a screening under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) umbrella. Those who are deemed amenable to removal are identified while still being in custody, which greatly reduces the number of criminal offenders that are released back into the community.

Since 2020, the number of 287(g) encounters in Arizona total 644 and are broke down as follows:

·         Convicted Criminal- 407

·         Pending Criminal Charges- 225

·         Other Immigration Violator- 12

MPD has had three 287(g) encounters for 2022.

Therefore, while 287(g) may sound alarming at first, the program has been successful in identifying gang members, sex offenders, and murderers. These offenders are taken into ICE custody after serving their criminal sentences and then removed from our community.