Betz’s second retirement came at the suggestion of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System because of a change in rules, Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger said. It was not clear Friday if other county employees also took advantage of the rule change.
Government employees under OPES pay 10 percent of their paycheck into the retirement system and their employer pays in 14 percent.
“Once a retiree is rehired, the retiree receives the pension that they earned and continues to contribute to the retirement system at the same contribution rates prior to retirement,” Julie Graham Price, communications manager for OPERS said. “They will contribute 10 percent of their salary to an annuity. Employers contribute 14 percent.”
Employees who retired before July 31 continue receiving an 8 percent fixed interest rate on their annuities. After that date, interest on annuities change to a variable rate, Graham Price said.
“If a member chooses to receive an annuity, he or she would be impacted by the interest rate change if they do not retire by July 31,” Graham Price said. “If the interest rate is set at 8 percent, you’re going to get more than if it’s at a lower rate.”
Graham Price could not say Friday how many employees in the OPERS system were impacted by the rule change.
Harshbarger said he had discussed retirement with Betz, who turned 65 in July, prior to the rule change. Betz joined the crime lab as director in 1974. When the office merged with the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office in 1987, he became director of both departments.
“I probably would not have allowed this, except to give us time to create a transition plan,” Harshbarger, said adding Betz will not receive a payout of any kind. “His service has been critical. The knowledge he brings to the job is not replaceable. I need him in the chair for another six to eight months.”
Harshbarger said Betz will leave the job permanently by the Spring of 2014.
“We already had a game plan. I promised Kent that I would get him through the 2014 budget cycle,” Betz said. “We all got blind sided by the April 12 letter from OPERS about the annuity. I had no idea this was going to occur or that OPERS was going to change the rule.”
That definitely is an example of what drive people crazy about public officials, Greg Lawson, a policy analyst for The Buckeye Institute For Public Policy Solutions said.
“As a philosophical matter, I don’t think it’s good. On the bright side, at least it doesn’t look like the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for years to come.”
Harshbarger said he is evaluating whether Betz’s position will be filled. Serving under Betz is Denise Rankin, who supervises the crime lab, and Dr. Bryon Casto who oversees operations for the coroner’s office.
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