Belleville N-D City gives veterans right to buy lost pension time

[Tweed]

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/11079071.htm

"BELLEVILLE - After half a decade of debate, the City Council on Monday finally decided to give 14 city employees the right to buy back pension time they lost while serving in the military.

Aldermen voted 14-1 to spend as much as $170,000 over the next 27 years to pay the city's part of the workers' pension contributions. The employees would have to pay as much as $14,000 each to sign up, which makes Ward 6 Alderman Bob Blaies think few of them will do it.

"The $170,000 is a worst case scenario," Blaies said. "It would take most of these people more than five years to get back their contribution."

But Blaies said he voted in favor of the ordinance because he thought workers, most of whom fought for their country in Vietnam, should get their choice on the pension buyback."

Read on... apparently the vets have to put money into the system before they get any back...