Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 279 Draft 01 2008-2010 OFFICE INFORMATION ONLY Meeting: January 6, 2010 - Council Meeting (30th Session) Action: Close File - January 6, 2010 Re: C-634/Resolution 279-09/FC-128 J~SV Gs N~ COUNTY OF HAWAII STATE OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. 279 09 A RESOLUTION TO ENCOURAGE THE ADMINISTRATION TO DEVELOP A RETIREMENT INCENTIVE PLAN FOR CERTAIN COUNTY EMPLOYEES THE COST OF WHICH IS TO BE BORNE BY THE SAVINGS REALIZED AS A RESULT OF EMPLOYEE RETIREMENTS. WHEREAS, the County of Hawaii is facing an economic crisis and the potential of additional loss of revenues received from the State of Hawaii (e.g. Transit Accommodation Tax) in the fiscal year 2010-2011; and WHEREAS, in difficult financial years, some businesses provide early retirement incentives of adding extra years to the employee's years of service and age to bring the employee's years of service and age to the minimum or greater retirement requirements; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii Revised Statutes §89-9, subsection (d) disallows negotiation regarding retirement matters, and states in pertinent part: "(d) [Repeal and reenactment on July 1, 2010. L Sp 2008, c S, §L] Excluded from the subjects of negotiations are matters of classification, reclassification, benefits of but not contributions to the Hawaii employer-union health benefits trust fund or a voluntary employees' beneficiary association trust; recruitment; examination; initial pricing; and retirement benefits except as provided in section 88-8(h)."; and WHEREAS, according to County and State Officials those County of Hawaii employees who are laid off receive a portion of their weekly pay for twenty-six weeks as unemployment benefits from the State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. That amount is repaid by the County of Hawaii to the State of Hawaii on a dollar-for-dollar basis because the County of Hawaii is a reimbursing employer and self-insures for unemployment benefits. The unemployment benefits paid by the County do not assist in advancing the work of the County. Therefore, laying off employees continues to create a financial hardship to the County compared to the retirement of those employees; and WHEREAS, the County of Hawaii should not incent some employee groups to retire, such as police officers, fire fighters, water safety officers, police and fire radio dispatchers, and any other positions determined by the Mayor to be critical to public health, safety, and welfare or the financial viability of the County; now, therefore, I BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it encourages the administration to develop a retirement incentive plan, the cost of which is to be borne by the savings realized as a result of such a one-time retirement incentive plan. I I I BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County of Hawaii may pay a one-time retirement incentive, not to exceed a certain percentage of the employee's base annual salary or savings realized by an employee's retirement, or a set dollar amount, where either the percentage or the dollar amount is to be determined by the administration, to employees who are eligible to retire with no reduction in their retirement benefits and do so before June 30, 2010. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that employees of bargaining units 11 (Firefighters) and 12 (Police Officers) and any other positions determined by the Mayor to be critical to public health, safety, and welfare or the financial viability of the County shall be excluded from this retirement incentive plan. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the effective date of this resolution shall be immediately upon approval, and the termination date of the retirement incentive plan for retiring employees shall be no later than June 30, 2010, for the retiring employee to receive the retirement incentive. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Departments of Human Resources, Finance, and the Office of the Mayor with a request to encourage the establishment of a retirement incentive plan and reduce the number of employees in this time of financial crisis. Dated at , Hawaii, this day of , 2010. INTRODUCED BY: COUNCIL MEM ER, COUNTY OF HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL ROLL CALL VOTE County of Hawaii AYES NOES ABS Ex Hilo, Hawaii ENRIQUES FORD I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by GREENWELL the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the HOFFMANN County of Hawaii on IKEDA NAEOLE ATTEST: ONISHI YAGONG YOSHIMOTO Reference: C- 634 / FC COUNTY CLERK CHAIRPERSON & PRESIDING OFFICER RESOLUTION NO. 279 09 I I -2- i