Assemblyman John F. McKeon this week asked the State Treasury Department to suspend certain pension requirements for retirees so towns devastated by Superstorm Sandy can hire skilled workers to help with long-term recovery efforts.
Currently, any retiree of the state Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) who works more than 32 hours per week and earns more than $15,000 per year from a municipality is required to re-enroll in the pension system. McKeon sent a letter to State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff earlier this week asking the department to suspend the requirement if they haven’t done so already so that towns in desperate need of skilled help will not be handcuffed by the requirement.
“As the former Mayor of West Orange, I know how valuable experienced and skilled employees are, especially during a crisis,” said McKeon (D-Essex/Morris). “Experienced engineers, tax assessors, public works employees with detailed knowledge of local infrastructure can all prove invaluable. I would hate to see towns in desperate need of help denied the expertise of skilled retirees because of these current pension restrictions. “
McKeon commended the state for the tremendous efforts made already to facilitate the recovery in the aftermath of Sandy and pledged bipartisan support if legislation is needed to suspend the current pension requirements.
A full copy of his letter can be viewed here.