State’s Early Retirement Plan May Hit Dispatchers

An early retirement bill proposed by New York Gov. David Patterson (D) and passed by the legislature is now being considered by local governments as a way to reduce expenses and meet budget goals. The bill would allow local cities and towns to temporarily approve retirements at age 55 with 25 years of service, or to grant an employee three extra years of service credit towards a retirement. The designated local government employees would have 90 days to accept any early retirement offer by their employers. Typically, dispatchers in the state are now covered by a 55/30 retirement plan. The city of Kingston (pop. 25,400) is considering the new retirement law for one police and one fire dispatcher to save $95,000 a year in expenses for their separate comm centers. The police center budget is $400,000 a year and one retirement would save about $76,000, offset by a new part-time position costing $26,000 a year. The fire center budget is $325,000 a year, saving about $70,000 a year, offset by a new $25,000 part-time position. There is considerable debate in the state about whether early retirements and part-time hiring is prudent for public safety positions. Download (pdf) a copy of the bill here, and read an analysis of the possible cost savings of early retirement plans here.