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Councilman proposes early retirement option for city workers amid pandemic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The pandemic has changed work habits for most Americans.

Many people are still working from home, office layouts have changed, and many other workers have been furloughed.

Now there is a move by one Jacksonville City Council member to make changes for city employees by offering early retirement for some who do not want to come back to the office.

Councilman Garrett Dennis is proposing legislation to allow for early retirement from city employment.

“We don’t know what the future holds,” Dennis said. “And we have to look at every aspect of our finances here in the city. And this may be an opportunity to reduce our workforce as well as save taxpayer dollars.”

Right now, the city employs 9,124 people, and it’s unclear how many of them are working from home.

Under the proposed legislation, workers who are at least 55 years old and have worked with the city for 10 years could retire with some benefits. Currently, 2,282 city employees are over the age of 55.

Those 60 and over who have worked for five years have the same option.

Anyone who has worked for more than 20 years no matter what their age could also retire.

‘This legislation doesn’t force anyone out but opens up that window to allow individuals who can exit to exit if they like,” Dennis said.

This is just in the beginning stage of the proposal and would require union approval and thorough vetting by the administration. Dennis said right now, city offices are still in limbo and this is one way to get back to service.

“We are not at full capacity here in the city as far as the workforce, however, we’re paying full capacity for salaries and benefits every pay period,” Dennis said.

Right now, the mayor’s staff is not commenting on the proposal and said they will wait to see if it’s approved by the full council. Union leaders are also looking over the legislation before commenting.


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