City Council Turns Down Police Retirement Agreements

The City Council voted against appropriating additional funds for the severance or retirement of three police administrators on Monday.

Councilors voted 4-2 against approving the severance of Deputy Chief Marshall Segar and 5-1 against approving the retirement agreements of Captains William Dittman and Michael Lacey. Councilor Anthony Nolan, a police officer, recused himself from the vote.

Under Segar’s settlement agreement, he would have received a lump sum equivalent of a year’s salary as well as a one-year payment of COBRA benefits. The city would also have paid all accrued vacation, holiday, and compensatory time; made Segar eligible for the unaffiliated employees retirement health savings plan “upon proof of his retirement in the total amount of $21,000;” waived $1,374.01 owed by Segar to the city as repayment of his payroll conversion loan; and provided Segar a retiree identification card and federal permit to carry a firearm.

Dittman’s agreement would have paid his salary through the end of June as well as his salary rate for all accrued vacation, holiday, and compensatory time. It also would have granted him family health insurance at no cost until he reached the age of 65, with the option of continuing on one of the city’s retiree health insurance plans at that time along with any independents until ineligible due to age or Medicare coverage.

Lacey also would have received his salary until the start of his retirement benefits and be paid for accrued vacation, holiday, and compensatory time. The city would also have made 54 monthly payments of the difference between his salary and pension benefits through the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System. Lacey would have been given family health insurance through the city until Jan. 31, 2017, at which point he would receive insurance for himself and his spouse as provided to the bargaining unit retirees. The city would also have provided Medicare supplemental insurance to Lacey and his spouse once he became eligible for those benefits.

Mayor Daryl Finizio , which expired on Jan. 7. Finizio said he also thought the department could benefit from a reorganization and that .

“That was my ultimate decision. I stand by that decision,” said Finizio.

Councilor Adam Sprecace criticized the agreements as coming to the council after the fact and said he did not think the council has seen the last of the municipal agreements given the changes made in city administration after Finizio took office. Sprecace said the captains’ retirements would also cost the city about $100,000 each and that he couldn’t approve them given the .

Councilor John Maynard supported the separation agreement for Segar, but voted against the captains’ agreements. He said the captains' retirements had not been negotiated with the police union and were therefore non-binding.

“Not only is it not binding, but it’s against union practices,” said Maynard.

Council President Pro Tempore Wade Hyslop, who supported each of the agreements, questioned what a rejection of the agreements would mean for those who signed them. Law Director Jeffrey Londregan said the mayor has the ability to negotiate such agreements if the funds are available, but that the council must approve any additional expenditures. He said the rejection “will only affect what is deemed to be new money in this agreement.”

The agreements also have severability clause to remove any sections deemed “illegal, unenforceable, or ineffective” and keep the other parts of the agreement in place. Londregan said the former employees may decide whether they want to proceed with an altered agreement or explore legal options.

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