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CLEAR Temp: 73 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, June 8, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 4, 2003 Not all of those leaving are the retiring type By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune At 78, Vi Curtis wasn’t quite ready to retire as supervisor of Jackson County’s motor pool. "I’ve been here a long time and I didn’t want to do it," said the 27-year county veteran. "I just love my job." Curtis reluctantly joins the growing ranks of public employees leaving their jobs to keep retirement benefits intact in light of legislative reforms. Last fiscal year, 24 county employees retired compared to 36 so far this year — a 50 percent increase. Other municipalities in the county also are seeing an increase in retirements, including the city of Medford, which reports 20 so far compared to 13 last year. Advertisement Curtis, like many, discovered her benefits will shrink because of legislation that aims to cut in half the long-term $16 billion deficit in the Public Employees Retirement System. She consulted a financial adviser recently and was told she could lose up to a third of her benefits each month if she didn’t retire now. Curtis, who earned $56,000 a year, expects to get about $1,500 a month from PERS. Her benefits would have dropped to $1,000 to $1,200 because of planned changes to the retirement system. She will continue to work six hours a day, three days a week until a replacement is found and trained. "I could work another couple of years," she said. "I’m in real good health." Most of those retiring made their decision since the beginning of the year, when the Legislature began PERS reforms in earnest, said Kim McDonald, administrative secretary for county human services. "Most of those retiring are getting toward the end of their careers," she said. "A lot of them are retiring because of the new mortality tables." In one of three key pieces of PERS reform, the Legislature decided to update the life-expectancy tables, which are used to calculate monthly benefits. The existing tables date back to 1978, but retirees are now living four to five years longer on average. Updating the tables stretches benefits over a longer period of time, reducing the monthly amount. "Everybody’s just in a panic," McDonald said. "Most people are just worried and a lot are confused." McDonald said the recent spike in retirements hasn’t made it particularly difficult to find new recruits, however. "There are a lot of unemployed people looking for work," she said. Some departments may experience temporary problems replacing an administrator or senior employee, she added. In the county’s libraries, some positions may be cut permanently because of ongoing budget problems. "There are a few cases where we might not replace the employee," she said. Deputy County Administrator Dave Kanner said 10 people retired just last week. "Clearly, that’s a fairly large bump," he said. Most of the positions opened up by the retirees will be filled in the near future, he said. "It’s a little disconcerting to lose a lot of people all at once," said Kanner. "It would be nice to plan for people retiring so we could get replacements." County Archivist Rich Thelen, 63, chose to retire because of concerns that his PERS benefits would drop by 25 to 30 percent. Thelen earns about $35,000 a year. He expects he will see less than 50 percent of that in retirement benefits to support him and his wife. "Essentially, we’re ill prepared because we weren’t planning on me retiring this quick," he said. "It would have been nice to have sat down and planned a future course of action." Thelen will work a 32-hour week until his replacement is found. Like other employees, he said PERS needs an overhaul, but he thought the Legislature didn’t give people enough time to decide on their retirement options. A 25-year county employee, Thelen thinks the full impact from losing senior, knowledgeable employees won’t be realized for some time. "When you bring people in from the outside, how do you replace that institutional memory?" he questioned. "Still, I don’t think anybody’s irreplaceable." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times