Update: Irvington Passes Law Allowing for Retirement Incentives

Update: In a regular board meeting Monday, the Village of Irvington Board of Trustees voted unanimously to opt into a state law allowing for targeted retirement incentives for village employees.

The village has yet to disclose which particular employees will be offered the retirement packages, acknowledging the difficulty of selecting workers whose early retirements could save the village the required 50 percent of their salaries within two years.

"Those who receive the packages will be offered one month's worth of benefits for every year served up to 36 years," Brenda Jeselnik, village clerk/treasurer said. 

Original article:

The Village of Irvington will hold a public hearing on August 16 to gauge residents' opinions of a law adopting a targeted retirement incentives program for village employees. 

In order for the incentives to qualify under state law, the village must save more than 50 percent of each retiring employee's base salary over the first two years.

"Because of this strict regulation, there are only about four to six employees in the department of public works who would apply," Lawrence Schopfer, Irvington village administrator, said. "To save that amount of money, we would have to eliminate that position, wait a couple of years to refill it, or hire a replacement at a much lower salary."

Schopfer said there were probably 20 employees who would be eligible for retirement incentives, but the village could realistically choose no more than six to target.

"We're not yet releasing the names of the workers who will be offered the
incentives, but they will all be higher-level positions in the DPW, with
laborer or equipment operator positions eliminated after promotions occur,"
Schopfer said.

Unlike positions such as teachers, police officers and firemen, department of public works employees have incremental salary increases only for the two lowest-paid positions, laborers and motor equipment operators.

"For these two positions workers go through four steps over the course over four years,"  Schopfer said, but he also made it clear that the amount saved by hiring less-seasoned employees would not some close to the required fifty percent. 

For the village to save on next year's budget, the law must be passed by August 31. 

If all six employees opted to take the early retirement, the village would save approximately $150,000—an amount Schopfer described as "nothing to ignore."

But he doubts all, or even most, will go for it.

"There will be no animosity against anyone who does not take the package," Schopfer said. "It's just an option for them and an opportunity for us to save."