Meeting stringent best practice standards in employee health promotion has paid off as Oak Harbor is set to save upwards of $33,600 next year on medical coverage expenses.

The savings is the result of the WellCity Award, which it earned from its employee health provider, the Association of Washington Cities Employee Benefit Trust. The award means Oak Harbor will be given a 2 percent break on premiums for employees and spouses in 2012.

“We are very happy to receive the reduction in health care premiums,” Oak Harbor Mayor Jim Slowik  said. “With the tight economy and tax revenue down, the savings will be put to good use.”

Slowik credited the city’s Wellness Committee, led by Chairwoman Dina Nichols, for the achievement. They worked hard to achieve the nine standards needed to win the award, along with encouraging better fitness and disaster preparedness training, he said.

This is actually the sixth year in a row that the city has earned the WellCity award. However, this is the first year the association offered the discount and the organization increased its requirements to encourage cities to do even more.

“While the 2 percent premium discount is a considerable motivation in times of strained budgets, the rewards go beyond the monetary savings,” CEO Mike McCarty said. “A city that works on employee health see increases in productivity, morale and employee retention, and decreases in absenteeism and injuries.”

Nichols said the increased standards made her a little nervous but that the wellness committee stepped up to the plate and got the job done. That their hard work paid off and saved taxpayers $33,600 filled her with pride, she said, but is nothing less than she expected.

“It was the goal we strived for,” Nichols said.