During last night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Idoni and I initiated a discussion about domestic partnership benefits for municipal employees. Based on uniformly favorable Council and administrative reaction, the City is likely soon to provide family health insurance and related benefits to employees in long-term, committed relationships. The overall budgetary impact of such a step will be very small, but for affected employees, principally those in long-term same-sex relationships, the positive impact will be substantial. This policy also makes a strong statement about the City’s commitment to inclusion and equality for all members of our community.