Council sends Act 49 police buyback draft to labor council and pension administrator for cost study

Council discussed a draft agreement implementing Act 49 of 2024, a state law that enables police officers to buy pension credit for prior qualifying police service, and instructed staff to seek further review and cost analysis before any final action.

Rebecca (staff member) summarized the item for council, saying the draft came from the police association (the department’s collective bargaining unit) and that "Act 49 is a new state law" that would allow officers to buy prior police service toward pension credit. She noted the borough already maintains a military buyback program and that Act 49 would be a similar optional mechanism. According to the staff presentation, the proposal was intended to aid recruitment and retention amid challenging hiring conditions.

Council members asked whether the agreement had been reviewed by the borough solicitor and whether it was a negotiable subject for the police union; staff recommended that the agreement be reviewed by the borough labor council and that the manager request a short actuarial study from the pension administrator to determine the cost of offering the benefit. The council voted to send the draft agreement to the borough labor council and to authorize the borough manager to request the actuarial study; the item will return after those reviews.

The meeting record emphasizes that the Act 49 draft is a subject for collective bargaining and that further legal and actuarial review is required before the borough can adopt any buyback program.