Instead of a COLA (cost of living adjustment), Northampton County's 1200 or so retirees will be getting a lump of coal this Christmas. According to Council Prez John Cusick, a COLA was voted down at the most recent retirement board meeting. Retirees have no representative on the board, despite having presented three names to Executive John Brown in October.
I'd like to provide you with a link to the minutes, but I am unable to locate them on NorCo's new website. In fact, I'm unable to find the retirement board.
The last time retirees received a COLA was in 2013, John Stoffa's last year in office.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
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Friday, December 16, 2016
7 comments:
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Bernie you may have hit on a real behind the scenes "poo-poo" in this story. I know a few retires as you do and a few of them have been po'ed about how hard it is to get info on retirement meetings. Apparently the inability for retiree's to get the minutes of meetings has been a sore point for some time. When it was stated they could get them online, they couldn't be found. Trying to get past meeting minutes proved almost impossible. Neither the Executive nor council was responsive. They also don't seem to care that their isn't a retiree on the board for almost a year, even though a retiree offered to stand in.
ReplyDeleteI guess the Retirement board members, particularly the elected ones don't want retiree's to know how they voted on COLA's.
Aren't the minutes of retirement meetings part of the public record and shouldn't they be available to people?
were retires promised in writing colas every year? is this a right or just what these people think they should get?
ReplyDeleteThat's because the money went towards Kathy Allen's raise...
ReplyDeleteTo 6:31 a.m. anonymous.
ReplyDeleteThe State law requires the Retirement Board consider a C.O.L.A. for their retirees every three years. Northampton County considers this issue every year at the last meeting of the year.The republicans on the "Board" get a real thrill by voting to deny a C.O.L.A. to the retirees. The Republicans don't even appoint a retiree to the Board which is a violation of the County Administrative Code.
This is a classic NC non-transparent action by the STACKED retirement board, the County Executive and his patsies on County Council. Retiree's, since you are not a productive entity to county operations, they have no use for you. Both Brown and the useless fools on council, refuse to even appoint a retired representative, as per pertinent law. These people rather give unqualified [Cathy Allen] and political pets [Mark Weaver] positions of power, [even when they are possibly in violation of the sunshine act and a known tax cheat], ands give huge starting salaries with healthy pay raises. Forget about the 20, 30 or 40 years you provided excellent service; these people have no regard for your past service and probably hope you die so they can take you off the rolls of retirement! Retiree's, unite at election time and dump these incompetents.
ReplyDeleteA retiree we both know let it be known that one of the republicans on the retirement Board said that if she didn't get a COLA why should county employees'? Very selfish and self-centered attitude, if true.
ReplyDeleteThe Director of Human Resources is the Secretary to the Retirement and it is the duty and responsibility of that individual to publish the minutes of all Retirement Board meetings.
ReplyDelete