Dorchester County council to seek March decision on moving EMS and corrections staff into state pension systems

Dorchester County Council heard a presentation from county human-resources staff and Maryland State Retirement officials on a proposal to move certain county employees into alternative state pension systems, and the council voted to proceed to the next step in the process.

Suzanne, the county presenter, told council members the plan would shift emergency medical services employees into the Law Enforcement Officers’ Pension System (LEOPS) and correctional officers into the Correctional Officers’ Retirement System (CORS), while most other county employees would remain in the Employee Pension System (EPS). “They required a census,” Suzanne said, describing the state’s initial review and timeline; she added the Maryland State Pension agency provided an initial valuation and “they need a decision from the council by March 1” to proceed to a final valuation and enrollment phase.

Suzanne and an online state retirement official explained how contributions and benefits differ by system. Suzanne summarized employer contribution rates used in the analysis (EPS employer contribution cited at 9.75%, CORS at 18.56% and LEOPS at 39.64% in the presentation) and warned that those figures change annually. She also presented the state’s initial valuation credit estimates: “The credit for CORS, the initial valuation credit is going to be $1,361,000. For LEOPS, it’s going to be $1,773,000,” she said, noting the credits would be amortized over 25 years into annual offsets.

County presenters and correctional and EMS supervisors framed the proposal as a workforce and safety issue. A corrections speaker said high turnover has left the county short-staffed: “For EMS, our turnover is sitting at 21.2% in the last fiscal year. Corrections is sitting at 20.6%,” the speaker said, arguing that access to LEOPS/CORS can attract and retain trained staff who otherwise leave to take positions in neighboring counties.

Council members pressed presenters on retirement ages, vesting and who ultimately pays benefits. Presenters clarified that the state pays retirement benefits after employees vest and that vesting rules vary by system; the state official noted a 10-year vesting threshold for some benefits. The presentation included example employer-cost scenarios showing that, under the illustrative census used for the initial valuation, shifting employees could increase county employer contributions in some years even after applying the state credit; Suzanne cautioned the numbers were preliminary and based on an earlier census that the county will update during a final valuation.

After discussion, a council member moved and the council seconded a motion to proceed with both conversion requests through the March 1 decision point. The motion passed with ayes recorded and no opposition voiced on the record. The council directed staff to continue preparing the final valuation materials and documentation for the state if the council confirms the decision at or before the March 1 deadline.

The council did not record a named mover or a roll-call vote in the public transcript; the action on the record is recorded as a motion, a second and ayes in favor. The council’s next procedural step is the final valuation and enrollment work with Maryland State Retirement, contingent on any further council action before March 1.