![]() ![]() Paul police chief who lost a tough sheriff’s race against Fletcher in 2006.įinney collects a pension of $140,000 a year, about half of which is deferred for later payment since he now earns a salary of $137,000 under Fletcher. McDonough said he was aware that Fletcher had hired a number of retired law enforcement officials to work in his office, including Finney, 71, the former St. The delayed payment is offset somewhat by the fact that those receiving PERA pensions no longer have to pay into the plan, even if they’re working full time. In general, PERA pensioners who go back to work in PERA jobs get half their pension payments each month and half delivered roughly two years later in a lump sum, said PERA’s executive director Doug Anderson. Unlike a 401(k), however, the pension payments continue for the retiree’s lifetime. Their employers match that with a contribution worth 16.95% of the employee’s pay. The fund acts somewhat like a 401(k), with members contributing 11.3% of their pretax income to their plan each pay period. Those on his leadership team taking pensions are experts in their field who are highly experienced, he said, “and experienced people may have pensions.”Ĭollecting a pension while working full time is not illegal under the rules set in place by the Legislature when it established the Public Employees Retirement Association Police and Fire Fund in 1959.Įmployees must retire for at least 30 days, and they cannot have a written or verbal agreement with their employer about returning later, according to PERA’s rules. “A pension is income earned from a lifetime of contributions,” he said. ![]() “It seems like a pretty good gig for some of these folks,” McDonough said.įletcher, who was elected sheriff in 2018 after serving 16 years in the office from 1994 to 2010, defended the practice of his officers taking pension payments while working full time in his office. He said he wasn’t aware of the arrangements until he was notified by the Star Tribune. Ramsey County Board Chairman Jim McDonough said it was “baffling” that several high-ranking members of the Sheriff’s Office were collecting pensions while working. His remarkably brief retirement was just long enough to satisfy the 30-day window necessary to trigger pension payments.Įfforts to reach Knafla and Clark for comment this week were unsuccessful. In Clark’s case, retirement was even more short-lived than it was for Knafla.Ĭlark bid farewell to the daily grind on June 1 before returning to his job only a month later, on July 3. It’s unclear how many members of the Sheriff’s Office have similar arrangements, but at least three of the 16 deputy sheriff commanders collect PERA pensions including Knafla, Terry Soukkala, and Richard Clark. Paul Police Chief Bill Finney and former Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Mike Martin and Steve Lydon, superintendent of the Adult Detention Center. Fletcher himself collects a PERA pension on top of his salary, as does Chief Deputy Sheriff Dave Metusalem, a former county undersheriff two of the three current undersheriffs, former St. Several members of Sheriff Bob Fletcher’s leadership team are collecting retirement benefits while working a full-time job. Not only was Knafla getting both a salary and pension, but under PERA rules he no longer had to contribute some of his pretax income to the pension system he was benefiting from, meaning his take-home pay had grown as well. Knafla’s time away from the office triggered a pension from the state’s retirement plan for public employees, the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA). A retirement party last year for Ronald Knafla, a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy commander, had the usual trappings: a congratulatory plaque for the retiree, well wishes from the boss, a crowd of family and friends who cheered his long career in law enforcement.īut the celebration hadn’t even faded from memory before Knafla, who retired that day, took back his old job and title less than four months later - but now with more money. ![]()
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