6/15/17
by News Department on 06/15/17C-O-L-A Request Denied...
Schuylkill County retirees were again denied a cost-of-living adjustment Wednesday.
According to the Republican Herald, Commissioner Gary Hess first made a motion at last month’s retirement board meeting for a cost-of-living adjustment of 0.3 percent for county retirees. It was not seconded by anyone else on the retirement board, which consists of the three commissioners, treasurer and controller.
On Wednesday, members of the county retirees association asked for another vote, but the result was the same.
Members of the county retirees association have attended the last several retirement board meetings to ask about receiving their first pension increase since 2007.
The county is required to discuss a COLA at least every three years. Joan Deitrich, president of the retirees association, said the retirees were told to wait until House Bill 239 was approved.
The legislation eliminating the requirement that counties make any COLA retroactive to the last time the retirees had a pension increase was approved last year and went into effect for 2017.
