Pension Dominates Twin Falls Commissioner Race
By Nathan Brown, The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Mikesell, who served three terms as a commissioner before dropping out of the 2010 race, is running in the
Mills is the Republican candidate. Mikesell ran as a Republican in prior races but is running as an independent now.
Currently, the county's retirement contributions go into
Sheriff
It's especially a problem with more experienced deputies, Carter said. The older deputies are also more likely to be concerned about their retirements and therefore more likely to jump ship.
"I've done everything in my power to get the same thing that every other county in the state gets their employees," Carter said. "That's a retirement they can count on. Every time an employee from my agency quits because of the better retirement, it's frustrating. It not only hurts the agency but, ultimately, the county. It costs a lot of money to train these guys."
Carter told the
The county's contribution under PERSI would increase a couple points, to about 11 percent of an employee's salary. There is also a one-time buy-in; the amount would have to be calculated based on who is working at the time and how close they are to retirement, but one estimate is that it could be about
The cost, Mills said, is why he opposes the proposal. The county would have to either not give raises or raise taxes to pay for it, he said.
"The cost raise would come on the backs of the taxpayers," he said. "I think a lot of people ... think they're paying enough (in taxes) already."
Mills said the effect of the retirement on turnover rates is exaggerated by PERSI's supporters. Many people leave just to go to a bigger, higher-paying agency, he said, not only for the retirement.
"I'm not saying we don't lose some, but I don't see that as a real deciding factor of them leaving," he said.
Mikesell said the county could pay for it by a mix of ways, including using reserves and negotiating with employees to limit raises to make up some of the money. He said county workers might be willing to forego raises for a year or two to make it work.
"The state pays a lot less than private industry, but also offers the great benefit of PERSI," he said. "I believe employees will take a reduced salary in order to have a defined benefit on their pension."
PERSI came before the commissioners in 2009; at the time, Mikesell voted against the switch. Mikesell said Wednesday that, in 2009, the county had just finished a study on giving raises to stem turnover, and the timing wasn't right to spend the money. It's right now, he said.
Kramer and Urie were both commissioners at the time and voted yes and no, respectively.
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