ELIZABETHTOWN —
Essex County plans to eliminate many of the jobs held by 33 workers expected to take early retirement.
The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to go to public hearing for early-retirement incentives, which at least 33 employees have already said they would accept.
The move is expected to save the county $100,000 over a two-year period.
During that time, the move will save the county $1.8 million in salaries and longevity pay, but it will cost the county $1.2 million in health insurance for retirees.
That reduces the savings to $610,000, and deducting $514,000 in incentive costs leaves a net saving of about $100,000.
"Even with the retirement health insurance and new health insurance, there's still significant savings," County Manager Daniel Palmer said. "My recommendation is to go ahead with this."
The plan includes both Part A and Part B early retirements offered by the State Retirement System. Part A adds one month of service for every year of employment, and Part B grants enhanced benefits for those age 55 and older who have 25 or more years of service.
Part A requires the county to show 50-percent savings in those salaries over two years.
"You have to target the positions," County Manager Daniel Palmer said. "The bottom line is what you have to produce in savings."
Palmer said he doesn't have the exact number of job eliminations worked out yet, and he and County Personnel Officer Monica Feeley are still compiling figures.
He said they'll have a position-by-position breakdown done soon.
"We actually got quite a few (job) eliminations," Palmer said.
Those taking the early retirement incentives have a 90-day window to do so, starting Aug. 31.
"We have a time restraint getting this done by the end of August," County Attorney Daniel Manning III said.
Aug. 31 is the deadline set by the state to enroll in the program.
The county is holding a public hearing on the retirement program at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 16, in the Old County Courthouse in Elizabethtown and a special meeting at noon that day to approve the plan.
"I think it's a good opportunity for the county to show the public we're serious" about cutting costs, Supervisor William Ferebee (R-Keene) said.
E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
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