Friday, September 17, 2010

Pension Update From Board Member Robert Robertson

I have just found out about this blog and I wanted to personally address some of the comments on here. First of all, if you check the minutes of the pension board meetings, I have REPEATEDLY asked and demanded for COLAs for the retirees and even suggested a 'built in' COLA for the retirees. The issue is that the pension board cannot, while working within their fiduciary responsibility, vote in a COLA when there is not adequate funding to cover the cost.

Rest assured, I have been lobbying diligently for the COLA, as I, too, have not had a COLA since June 2006, when I retired. In addition, no matter what the board recommends to the BOC, the board of commissioners needs to vote to approve any enhancements to the plan and they have been dead set against any COLAs.

You currently have access to all the published minutes of the board meetings because I fought for the minutes to be publicly posted. Do your research on that too. There is not a centralized database for retirees which I can access and, therefore distribute news/info, so I thought that by publishing the minutes, I was doing the best service for all involved.

I have personally spent my own money to go to the board meetings so I can respresent the retirees in the best way possible no matter where I am. I have also spent my own money to attend educational events, so I can better represent the needs of the retirees.

Robert Robertson

14 comments:

DeKalb Officers said...

Dear Mr. Robertson,

Thank you for your input. The minutes are not being made available. This was a topic before on this blog. The latest published minutes are from March 2010.

Your are welcomed to us this blog to get any information out.

Thank you for your efforts.

Anonymous said...

Well, hell must have frozen over. This is the first time I have ever heard anything from this guy even when he represented the active public safety employees on the pension board. The BOC seems not to have any problem giving the big wigs bonus's and severence pay but no COLAS for YOU. Thanks from the Soup COLA NAZI's. I thank this blog for getting the attention of many who ignore us. Thanks Blog people. This blog is the first damn real voice we ever had around here on anything at all.

Anonymous said...

I want to thank Mr. Robertson for not only his comments, but also his contributions. I have personally called him and he has given me good information regarding meeting times, issues, etc. I have attended the meetings in person and think that Mr. Robertson is doing all he can with the resources he has available. I have personally heard him asked for COLAs for the retirees (which includes him too).

Anonymous said...

Mr. Robertson, thanks for your service and the comments. I have read the last minutes available from like March or May and they were quiet revealing. It is obvious that every one attending the board meeting was trying to do their best for the interests of the pension fund, even the county directors attending.

What county employees and retirees need is more information from the Board. I suggest approaching the county to set up a county web site for pension information. DeKalb IS has the expertise and capacity to set up the site within a month given the go ahead by the CEO and BOC. Timely and easily available information to all would help eliminate the personal calls you receive in the middle of night as an added bonus.

Again, many thanks for your service to the employee pension fund.

Anonymous said...

Why is there funding to give the county 30 MILLION bucks from the pension to impliment the last early retirement and no money for COLA?
Robertson may be doing what he should for the retirees but there is a definite lack of communication to retirees and current employees in reference to what is going on with the pension.I blame it on the pension board reps who should be more proactive in communication with the employees and retirees. Thanks Dekalb Officers Blog for getting the word out.

Anonymous said...

Any chance they're gonna adjust the pension so that the poor officers that got in on the new rate will actually be able to retire in another 25 years?

Anonymous said...

Here is my concern for the future as I see it.

Though I am under the original retirement plan, first of all I disagree that DeKalb County changed it for all recent new hires reducing it for 30 years of service from 82.5% to
67.5%. That in and of itself makes it difficult to hire and retain career officers. Secondly, if the original retirement plan is not reinstated and made retroactive then how long can all current and future retirees depend on their being a pension for us before we die?

AL

Anonymous said...

How long have we had this blog? and why is he just now learning about it?

Anonymous said...

I'm sure the county changed the pension plan 5 years ago because with the level of benefits previously offered, it was unsustainable based on actuarial projections (like Social Security). Someone said they might even go to a 401K type of plan.

Anonymous said...

Well, whatever the situation is, past history shows me that they need to be watched.Politicians with money in front of the for the taking are very dangerous. This pension is probably the only good thing that ever came out of doing police work in Dekalb Co. Almost everything else has been made to be as miserable as possible and for little pay. 99% of the stress I feel doing police work comes from within the police department and the Dekalb County government. All we want is to be treated fairly. This job is a bitch as it is without all of the stupidity from within and this goes way back.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the pay here at DeKalb really sucks but, until recently, the benefits were at least decent. Now with the high-cost health insurance that goes up every year, the "new & reduced" pension plan, unpaid holidays (oops furlough days this week) and no sick leave check at the end of the year, the bennies are going downhill quick. The only real benefit we have left is our leave, so they better not try to steal that from us too!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone find it odd that for all the years when employees paid only 1% of salary into the pension fund they also almost routinely got the yearly 5% salary increases and thus were topped out in less than 10 years.

Does everyone realize this has enabled the 'old guard' to retire at the highest salary levels, get the highest % of their final salary as retirement and on top of that, they paid the least amount of money into the pension fund % of salary-wise?

No, it probably was not the plan to screw everyone who follows them into this line of service, but those in charge certainly seem to have done little to prevent it from happening once it came to light.

The obvious greed and self interest the prior generation built into the system is really disappointing, both here at DeKalb and in our society in general. The older folks really need to think carefully before continuing to screw over the next generation.... what goes around comes around and someday they will rely on us younger folks for help and it may just not be there for them.

jw.

Anonymous said...

Simple fact. They won't give the retirees a cost of living increase but they can give the county thirty million bucks so the county can dump the cost on the pension that can't affors a cost of living increase to retirees that have not had one in years.And then the county want's to hire some back do they can dip into the pension and get a salary from the county. Only only Dekalb County and out pension board couls come up with this crap. I wonder if the BOC and the pension board are pissed because we are on to them now because of this blog? I don't thank Robertson or anyone on the pension board for anything.

Sgt Gifford Ret. said...

Robbie.....you're doin a great job.....Do these folks not understand that the makeup of the pension board is slanted toward the county??????