Police and Fire Departments And Budget Crunch

In an article today on the Plain Dealer newspaper web site,
Cleveland, Ohio, has announced that police and firemen will no
longer be able to automatically extend their retirement past aged
65 years. Those who wished to remain on the job after reaching
aged 65 in the past were allowed to do so nearly every time.

The decisions are now made by the Safety Director and not the
City Council. He anticipates that 20-25 will be eligible to retire
and that extensions will only be made based on the needs of
the agency. Both the Fire Chief and the Police Chief have been
asked to assess agency needs to help determine if an extension
should be considered.

You will want to read the article and pay attention to the costs of
unused vacation and sick pay to the city when someone retires. In
most non-government employment, those who do not use their
vacations days, lose them. Will the current economic crunch
cause governments to reconsider the accumulation of vacation
days and even sick days?

Do you think the current policy should remain?