Burlington County's new ban against hiring "double dippers" may be the first of its kind in New Jersey, according to county officials, who say the purpose is to cut out pension abuse.
But the action taken Wednesday by the Board of Freeholders has some representatives of state and local government agencies wondering if it's needed and whether it goes too far.
"Double dipping is a slang term and can mean different things to different people," said Michael Darcy, executive director of the state League of Municipalities. He said he was not aware of such a ban elsewhere in the state.
The ban prohibits the county from hiring anyone who is collecting a "taxpayer-funded retirement pension." The all-Republican freeholder board unanimously adopted it at the same time that the county GOP Committee has raised "double dipping" as a campaign issue in county races.
The GOP labels Democratic sheriff candidate James Kostoplis -- a retired police lieutenant with a pension -- a "double-dipper." Sheriff Jean E. Stanfield, a Republican, does not collect a pension, but had hired two undersheriffs who would have been barred under the new policy. Those two undersheriffs have retired.
Out of 1,300 county employees, 18 currently collect a public pension, according to county spokesman Eric Arpert. These existing employees would not be subject to the ban, which also exempts retired military.
Darcy said this week that the county's definition of double-dipping seemed to be "logic taken to an extreme." Historically, he said, the term has been used to describe a practice in which a government employee retires from a job, starts collecting a pension, and then is rehired to do the same job while simultaneously collecting a pension and a salary, he said. That practice was corrected in recent years by pension changes, he said.
Double dipper may also refer to someone who has multiple part-time jobs in government that allow that person to receive a large pension, he said. But he said he did not view a double-dipper as someone who simply has a government pension and then takes another government job.
Latham Tiver, the freeholder who proposed the ban, said the reason was to "eliminate any potential abuses" with pensions. "Public pensions were never intended as a way to change a person's lifestyle and double their income. They were created to support those who are no longer working," he said at a meeting Wednesday..
Tiver, who is running for election in November, did not return calls for further comment.
Stanfield declined to comment, referring calls to the county GOP committee. Her campaign consultant said she agrees with the policy and would not hire "double dippers" in the future.
A report by the news site NJ Spotlight found 75 percent of the state's 21 county sheriffs are "double-dippers . . . who collect six-figure salaries in addition to pensions as retired law enforcement officers." Those sheriffs include Democrats and Republicans.
In Burlington County, the GOP is calling on Kostoplis to freeze his pension if he is elected sheriff in order to save taxpayers' money.
But Joseph Perone, spokesman for the state treasurer, said, "It isn't necessary to freeze pension payments. A police officer, for example, could retire and start collecting from the PFRS system. That officer could then take a job with a different employer and receive both salary and pension. But he or she would be precluded from entering the other employer's pension system."
Kostoplis said that he earned his pension after 35 years in law enforcement.
He said that he would not cost taxpayers more money if he is elected to the $120,000 sheriff's post because that salary would be paid regardless of who wins. In fact, he said, he would save the county some money because he would be barred from collecting the $28,000 the county pays annually for the sheriff's pension and benefits.
His running mate, Reva Foster, a Democrat seeking an open seat on the freeholder board, said the ban prevents the county from "benefiting from the experience of retired police, teachers, firefighters, or any other union member who choose to serve again." She said it was an attempt "to score political points in an election year."
(c)2016 The Philadelphia Inquirer
