KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City will provide minimal domestic partner benefits to unmarried city employees, but the City Council held off on including health insurance.

With almost no discussion, the council voted 11-1 Aug. 28 to support a domestic partner registry and to provide sick- and funeral-leave benefits to city employees who are in committed straight or gay relationships.

A plan announced in April would have included health insurance, but the council postponed action on that because costs are still unknown. Mayor Kay Barnes said the issue will be dealt with as part of the city’s insurance negotiations next spring.

“This was not about religion,” Barnes said after the vote. “It was not about sexuality. It was about equity.”

Supporters of the measures cheered and clapped as the votes were read.

“I’m thrilled. I think the council did the right thing,” said Jim MacDonald, who has been part of a coalition working with Barnes and city officials on domestic partner benefits.

The registry will give thousands of couples the chance to have their relationships recognized for the first time, MacDonald said.

The city clerk’s office will maintain the registry, for which each partner must file a notarized affidavit.

Dozens of cities have established registries, which help give couples some rights that married couples enjoy, such as the ability to make decisions on a partner’s medical treatment in emergencies.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 47 cities have domestic-partner registries, and 81 provide health insurance and other benefits.

Opponents of last week’s action said they weren’t sure about their next move, but indicated they may mount a challenge through the courts or the ballot box.

Kansas City resident Yummy Pandolfi said she will work against re-election of council members who voted for the measures. The only opposing vote came from Bill Skaggs, with Bonnie Sue Cooper absent from the meeting.

Mrs. Pandolfi said opponents may also try to gather signatures for a referendum to overturn the council’s action.

A referendum could be mounted only against the funeral- and sick-leave ordinances, not the resolution establishing the registry. Getting a referendum on the ballot would require about 5,300 signatures. Yummy Pandolfi’s husband, Joe Pandolfi, said he and others had already collected signatures from about 3,000 people urging the council not to approve the registry or the benefits.

One concern of city officials has been the cost of providing domestic partner benefits. The cost of the registry, and the sick- and funeral-leave benefits, are expected to be minimal.

About 150 employees indicated in an anonymous survey that they would be interested in participating. Sixty percent of the respondents said they were heterosexual and 40 percent said they were gay or lesbian.