Authorizes the county of Monroe to offer an optional twenty year retirement plan to Carl J. Zimmerman, a deputy sheriff employed by the county of Monroe.
Summary
S06692 is a narrowly tailored retirement bill for a single Monroe County employee, Carl J. Zimmerman, a sergeant employed by the county. The bill authorizes Monroe County to extend to him the optional 20-year retirement plan available under Article 14-B of the Retirement and Social Security Law, even though he did not make a timely application when first eligible. If the county adopts the required resolution and certifies that the missed deadline was not due to his own negligence, Zimmerman may elect coverage under the 20-year plan and receive retirement service credit back to his 1990 start date.
The bill also specifies the administrative steps and deadlines for implementation: Monroe County must file its resolution with the State Comptroller within 180 days after the act becomes law, and Zimmerman must file his election within one year of the effective date. The measure further requires Monroe County to pay all employer past service costs associated with the change, with authority to amortize those costs over five years.
Impact
The bill creates a special, individualized exception to the normal retirement enrollment rules in the Retirement and Social Security Law for one Monroe County sergeant. It affects Article 14-B retirement provisions, allowing retroactive participation in the 20-year plan and requiring the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System to credit prior service accordingly. The fiscal note estimates increased county contributions of about $13,000 annually and a one-time past service cost of about $120,000, or about $26,800 per year if amortized over five years, all borne by Monroe County rather than the state retirement system.
Sentiment
The available voting record shows strong, unanimous support for the bill at each stage: 6-0 in the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee, 20-0 in Senate Rules, and 59-0 on final Senate passage. That pattern suggests the measure was viewed as a routine corrective retirement bill with little opposition. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate indicating broader controversy.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive contention in the available record. The only likely issue is the precedent of granting a special retirement benefit to a single named employee after a missed deadline, which can raise fairness and cost concerns in similar bills. However, the bill addresses that concern by requiring a certification that the employee’s failure to apply was not due to his own negligence and by placing all financial responsibility on Monroe County, not the state.
Same As
Authorizes the county of Monroe to offer an optional twenty year retirement plan to Carl J. Zimmerman, a deputy sheriff employed by the county of Monroe.