The Paulding County Board of Commissioners reviewed proposed amendments to the county retirement plans that would change early unreduced retirement ages and raise mandatory employee contributions for public safety staff.

The proposal, presented by Tara Palmer, would change the general-employee plan to allow an unreduced retirement at age 62 under the “rule of 80” and would create an unreduced public-safety retirement at age 55 under the same rule. The proposal would leave the 4% mandatory employee contribution for general employees unchanged and increase the mandatory contribution for public-safety employees by 2 percentage points, to 6%.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff framed the proposal as part of recruitment and retention efforts. Palmer said the change is “essential to our benefits and recruitment and retention plan” and that the county hopes the adjustment will keep Paulding County competitive with neighboring jurisdictions.

Details and clarifications: Palmer said the change to the general plan reflects an “early unreduced retirement age of 62 with the rule of 80” and confirmed there would be no change to the 4% mandatory contribution for general employees. On public safety, she described the proposed unreduced retirement age as 55 with the rule of 80 and explicitly noted the increase in the mandatory contribution to 6%.

During discussion, a commissioner asked Palmer to explain the “rule of 80.” Palmer responded: “So your years of service and your age have to equal 80, but you cannot draw it until you're either 62 or 55.” Commissioners also reported that department-level surveys showed strong support for the change from public-safety employees.

Outcome and next steps: The transcript records the proposal and discussion but does not record a motion, a vote, or a final decision on the item. The public record in the minutes or a subsequent meeting should be checked for the formal vote and any implementation timeline.

Ending: Commissioners noted the proposal is part of ongoing efforts to enhance benefits; staff said the change was requested following surveys of public-safety personnel and other department input.