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Council adopts 401(a) plan for police chief after heated questions about transparency
Summary
The council adopted a qualified 401(a) retirement plan required by the police chief’s contract despite objections from some aldermen who said details were not disclosed in open session; manager Boyer and counsel said the requirement stems from the contract and some benefits had been discussed in closed session.
The Freeport City Council voted 6–2 to adopt a qualified retirement 401(a) plan required by the recently approved police chief’s employment contract. City manager Boyer said the plan is required by state statute and by the chief’s contract and described the action as a procedural step to create the plan so benefits can be delivered.
Several aldermen, led by Alderman Stacy, asked for more detail about plan specifics and said council and the public deserved clarity before final adoption. "How can we make a final decision today and say yes to something we don't even know what we're agreeing to?" Stacy asked, pressing for a description of the benefits the 401(a) would contain. Manager Boyer replied that the plan is required to meet terms in the contract and that detailed benefits were previously discussed in executive session when the contract was reviewed.
Alderman Sanders objected to the timing and said the council had been given insufficient opportunity to evaluate the contract terms and the retirement structure. Manager Blair said the contract and attendant requirements had been before the council previously and that the 401(a) ordinance was a ministerial step to comply with the contract and state law.
The resolution creating the 401(a) plan was adopted 6–2. Supporters said creating the plan avoids breaching the contract and allows the city to implement required benefits; opponents said they would prefer more public detail before finalizing long-term benefit commitments.
