Local sheriffs opt to retire, draw benefits, continue working

OTTAWA - Two area sheriffs ran and won reelection unopposed this fall. Those same sheriffs retired on Wednesday at the close of the year. Come Monday morning, they'll begin their newly elected terms.

Often referred to as retire-rehire programs in other sectors, the practice allows a public official to draw retirement benefits and continue working. Putnam County Sheriff Jim Beutler and Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey both retired and plan to continue working.

"As public employees we pay into our own retirement system much like a private individual pays into a 401(k). It's just that this is managed by a retirement system for us," Beutler said. "I have 35 and a half years paid into that. I started paying into that right out of high school at age 18. With that high number of years, it got to the point where it was costing me money. I was losing money by continuing to pay those benefits every month because the return would not have been for me."

The program allows law enforcement officers under the Public Employees Retirement System to retire and begin drawing benefits at age 48 with 25 years of service. Beutler is 54. Grey is 49 and has nearly 28 years in law enforcement.

"It's actually a win-win situation. If I were to do a news release and say I've found a way to save the county $11,000 a year, no cut in service, no change in anything, the public will not see a change, I would be a hero," Grey said. "That's exactly what I've done. The difference is I'm going to get my retirement check, too. That's what upsets people is that they view it as retirement instead of how they should view it which is I'm simply cashing in an investment I've made throughout my life. I'm cashing in no different than if I was cashing in an IRA."

Grey said the system actually saves taxpayer dollars because the county does not have to pay into the retirement system at the same high rate. Grey also opted to enroll in a single-person insurance program as opposed to a family plan, which also saves taxpayer dollars, he said.

Grey and Beutler said sometimes people see it as "double dipping" from public coffers. The sheriffs disagreed, saying it's not public money because they paid the majority into the account, with a percentage paid by the counties.

"The taxpayers pay me. Every Friday when I get my paycheck the taxpayers have a right to know how much I'm paid," Grey said. "What I do with the money isn't the taxpayers business. Once they pay me for the service I provided it's my money."

Beutler, who is now serving as president of the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association, said as many as a dozen sheriffs across the state are taking advantage of the program this year.

"None of us are ready to stop working. It's just that a lot of us started at an early age paying into the retirement system so we're taking advantage of our own money," Beutler said. "It's not a cost to the taxpayers by any means for us to do this. It's actually saving the taxpayers money to allow us to do this."