WRENTHAM - After several years of effort, the town finally has a commitment from town employee unions to increase employees' contribution to their health insurance.

The town has been paying 85 percent of the cost of employee health insurance, with employees kicking in the remaining 15 percent. That split is becoming 80-20 this fiscal year, which ends July 1, and 75-25 for the next fiscal year.

The health insurance change is the key part of new employee union contracts that have been settled.

Funding for four union contracts is being sought among other articles on the warrant for tonight's special town meeting.

The meeting will start at 7:30 at King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham. Contracts for employees in the clerical union, department of public works and fire department have been settled, and there reportedly is a verbal agreement to finally resolve the contract for police officers, which also had expired in June 2007.

The average raises for the three-year contracts run 3 percent. Money figures were still being developed right up to town meeting.

"We found ways to fund them for this year," finance committee Chairman Jerry McGovern said of the contracts that had funding postponed from the November special town meeting because of pending negotiations and need for more financial planning. "There is a potential for people to ask why are we giving raises now with this economy. The raises are a counterbalance to the unions agreeing to change health insurance contributions.

"Employees will be getting enough money to pay the difference in health insurance and a little more. During the course of the contract it is a slight benefit to them but an overall benefit to the town," McGovern said. "I think it is a pretty good arrangement."

Employee health insurance has been shooting up in costs the past several years and has become a good part of the town's and other municipalities spending. Wrentham and many other cities and towns have been striving to reduce the costs, looking into new insurance programs and trying to win concessions from employees. With the recession, such action has only increased.

Wrentham had looked into alternative insurance programs, but found none satisfactory.

The contracts are retroactive because they expired two fiscal years ago, June 2007. With the pacts already in the middle of their second year, the town will find itself negotiating new agreements in the near future. "We will be back into this pretty quickly," McGovern said.

Another article going before town meeting asks residents to support setting aside five of the 18 acres of the former Marra land off South Street (Route 1A) near Wampum Corner for affordable housing.

The town hopes to partner with developers to see assisted living housing built on the five-acre site.

Selectmen say the move will help the town meet the state goal of communities having at least 10 percent of their housing stock classified as affordable, which would give Wrentham more say over 40B affordable housing projects that can bypass most local zoning. Also, assisted living is for senior citizens, which wouldn't affect local schools, selectmen point out.

Residents have recommended multiple uses for the property, including affordable housing. Grant money has been obtained to continue cleaning up the site, which had been contaminated and taken by the town for back taxes.

Also being requested Monday night is $12,750 for the second of a three-year contract to reduce weeds in Lake Pearl, the town's major public waterway. Finance committee members support the request.

STEPHEN PETERSON can be reached at 508-236-0377 or at speterson@thesunchronicle.com.