Ten might take early city retirement
The City Council on Tuesday received news that about 10 city employees might take early retirement incentives that are being offered as a way to trim the municipal payroll, which makes up the largest single expenditure in the annual budget.
The city currently has 14 vacant, unfunded positions.
The early retirement offer, based on a state-mandated pension formula, has been offered to 49 of the city’s 125 fulltime employees, including three department heads, five sworn police officers and six firefighters.
“Preliminary meetings suggest that there may be around 10 employees who are interested, but this is only a preliminary number,” City Managr Steve Burrell wrote in a report to the City Council.
That would save the city $477,000, Burrell wrote. If all 49 employees took the offer, the city would save $1.9 million.
“The goal of this program is to provide savings to the City of Hermosa Beach and to provide an opportunity to downsize or reorganize where it makes sense,” Burrell wrote.
The employees who meet the state requirements, those 50 or older with at least five years service under the state retirement system, include the directors of finance and public works; the police chief, a police captain, lieutenant, two sergeants and an officer, five non-sworn Police Department employees; and a fire captain, two engineers and three firefighter-paramedics.
Also eligible are two building inspectors, a senior planner and a building code enforcement officer, the public works superintendent, two crew leaders and four maintenance workers.
In other matters, Duclos recognized Inglewood Police Officer Shea McCurdy, son of Hermosa civic stalwarts Dick and Cathy McCurdy, who received a South Bay Medal of Valor for his part in the attempted rescue of a wheelchair-bound man from the third floor of a building engulfed in fire.
At the same ceremony, Hermosa firefighter Paul Hawkins received a Sustained Superiority Award. ER