With the recent retirement of Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. it presents an opportunity to educate us taxpayers with whatever public information is available on the overall funding and factors of city employee retirement benefits. Perhaps an example of three retirement durations such as 10, 20, and 40 years which would show total ballpark costs to the city.

Possible information points: When actively employed, how much is the general employee contribution percentage? When retirement is invoked, what are the factors to determine the amount that will be paid out? What are the benefits included in the retirement period? Are there benefits that might continue after the employee's death? How is it all paid for? How much of the city's current budget is retirement funding? And, add in any other important benefit related data. 

Neil Jones

Greenfield