COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION/LABOR
MEMBERS: Stewart-Cousins, Chair, Abinanti, and Oros
BOL: Bass, Giordano,
GUESTS: Anne Nelson (LWV), Liz Salvi, Bill Randolph (CEO), Karen Pasquale (CEO),
The Chair, Andrea-Stewart Cousins called the meeting came to order at: 1:09
Chair, Andrea Stewart Cousins welcomed Michael Occhicone, President of the Westchester County District Attorney’s PBA, who was joined by Bob Daughtery, who represents the Westchester County Police PBA, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Investigators’ PBA and the Westchester County Correction Officers. They came to discuss two bills before the committee pertaining to the District Attorney investigators. He explained that there are two bills before us that appear to be similar. The cost to the County is $57,000 and is identical for both bills. This will provide three men with the 20-year pension that this Board approved originally in 1996 or 1998. For some reason or other, the State never opted into the program until last year. These three men retired from Ossining and were Tier 3 in the retirement system. This one bill opens a 20-year plan for these three individuals.
The other bill addresses the same three individuals but it differs by that while it opens up the 20-year plan, it also permits two of the three individuals to buy the time that they had as police officers with the Organized Crime Task Force, which they pay for, not Westchester County. We are doing two bills because we must protect the one individual that does not benefit from the second. They are asking The Board to approve both bills. They will then convince the Governor’s Council. The original legislation has an option for Tier 3 people to opt into the plan.
COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION
MINUTES – MAY 30, 2001
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Everyone else is in Tier 4 -- who were automatically put into the plan. To their knowledge, these individuals being discussed today are the only three people who will ever come here and need this plan retroactive.
A representative from The County Executive Office is here in support of the Board to pass the Resolution in both bills.
The Chair said that this will be reiterated at next week’s meeting. Since this is very time-sensitive, it is important that we have legislation and that we need home rules to be ready.
A motion to adjourned was made by Oros, and it was seconded by Abinanti. The Meeting adjourned at 1:57 p.m.