Eligible retired officers could return to city police work

An eligible retired officer may return to covered city police work and keep receiving an annuity. This applies to police officers covered by the Public Employees Police and Fire Retirement Plan who meet the service and annuity rules. The officer must have left service with at least five years in the plan and be receiving, or have applied to receive, an annuity. The officer and city must make required retirement plan contributions during reemployment, but the officer earns no additional plan service for that work. After reemployment ends, the plan director must refund the officer's contributions from that period, with interest. An officer age 55 or older may return as early as the second day after leaving service. The plan director must seek repayment of annuity payments made after an earlier return, but may waive repayment if the mistake was inadvertent or not the officer's fault.

A returning officer may continue participating in the statewide public employees insurance program. This applies to an eligible plan member returning to city police work under the proposed section. The officer pays the cost during reemployment unless a labor agreement or personnel policy provides otherwise. Continued participation and payment apply during reemployment.

A city may employ only a limited number of returning retired officers, with the limit based on its police force size. The limits apply to cities hiring members under the proposed reemployment section. A city that employed five or fewer officers in the prior calendar year may employ any number of returning members. A city with more than five but fewer than 100 officers may employ up to five returning members or 25 percent of its prior-year force, whichever is greater. A city with 100 or more officers may employ up to 25 returning members or 10 percent of its prior-year force, whichever is greater. Each city's limit is based on the number of police officers it employed during the immediately preceding calendar year.