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Chicopee Retirement Board approves retirements, enrollments and pension recalculations; tables GASB 67 & 68 draft
Summary
At its June 24 meeting the Chicopee Retirement Board approved five superannuation retirements, multiple new-member enrollments, refund and transfer requests and several pension recalculations, and tabled a draft GASB 67 & 68 report pending explanation from the system's consultant.
The Chicopee Retirement Board on June 24, 2026 approved multiple retirements, new member enrollments, refund and transfer requests and pension recalculations, and tabled a draft accounting report pending consultant review.
Board business began at 8:31 a.m. with approval of the May 27, 2026 regular meeting minutes and monthly expense warrants #06012026, #06242026 and #06252026 and payroll warrant #05292026. Motions carried with votes recorded as "ALL IN FAVOR."
The board approved five requests for superannuation retirement allowances: Timothy Barry, firefighter, effective June 21, 2026 (32 years, 3 months); Karen Clark, administration support professional, effective Sept. 25, 2026 (28 years, 1 month); Darlene Labonte, senior clerk, effective July 6, 2026 (32 years, 5 months); Christopher Scott, city arborist, effective June 30, 2026 (19 years, 2 months); and Daniel Sousa, patrolman, effective June 30, 2026 (30 years, 3 months). The motion to approve the retirements was made by David Ference and seconded by Debra Boronski.
The board also approved enrollment of 12 employees into the retirement system (including Jennifer Collins, Michael Daniels, Brooke Danko and others), approved 10 refund requests from former employees across several departments, and approved seven transfers to other retirement systems after statutorily required reviews. Each of those motions was recorded "ALL IN FAVOR."
Pension calculations for three recent retirees were approved: Edmund Gelinas Jr., lieutenant, Fire Department — $67,120.68 annual; Richard Maynard, patrolman, Police Department — $52,924.32 annual; and Paul McDonough, IT manager — $14,871.84 annual. The board likewise approved re-calculations for four retirees with updated annual amounts (Diane Belair — $31,189.08; Michael Broska — $46,839.24; Kathy Cote — $4,636.56; Natividad Gayle — $5,931.12). Motions for these approvals were made and seconded by board members and recorded as unanimous among those present.
The board granted survivor-benefit actions for Louis Cote and a beneficiary distribution following the death of Leshia O'Neill-Wolcott after reviewing statutory requirements.
Stone Consulting, Inc. submitted a draft of GASB 67 & 68 for the board's review. The board voted to table the draft until Colin Edgar of Stone Consulting can present and explain the report to the board, with the motion made by Debra Boronski and seconded by David Ference.
Members reported on the 2026 spring MACRS conference sessions, noting a legal panel that covered Section 91A excess earnings and non-filer issues, public records and Chapter 32 classification and proration, and audit topics. The board reviewed PERAC memos, a PRIM Board quarterly update and PERAC's 2025 investment report and placed those documents on file.
The board noted a retiree is undergoing a comprehensive medical evaluation under M.G.L. Chapter 32, Section 8; the minutes state the retiree is currently unable to perform job duties and may be subject to future evaluations, with no board action required at this time. The board confirmed upcoming 2026 meeting dates and adjourned at 8:59 a.m.
Votes and motions recorded in the meeting minutes were unanimous among attendees and indicated as "ALL IN FAVOR." The minutes list four members present (David Ference, Debra Boronski, Tiana M. Steffenhagen and Timothy O'Shea) and one absent (Paul Mailhott).
