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Cooper City voters direct manager to offer capped settlement on retiree health benefits, revisit in 30 days
Summary
After a long debate about benefits that were conferred via an old personnel manual, the commission directed staff to tender an offer to retirees equivalent to the city's general-employee pension plan (about $10 per year of service, with statutory caps), give retirees 30 days to accept and bring the matter back to the commission for final action.
The city manager presented options for four retired department directors who have been receiving city-paid health coverage, showing a current annual cost of about $75,000 for the group. Commissioners debated whether those payments are an enforceable defined benefit under state law; Commissioner Schroeder argued the manual-conferrred benefits were not adopted per statute and recommended stopping payments immediately, while others warned about cutting benefits retirees have already received.
After extended discussion on legal risks, cost and fairness, the commission approved a motion directing the city manager to tender an offer to the retirees: a settlement pathway giving them the equivalent of what general employees receive under the city's pension health-supplement formula (roughly $10 per year of service with an upper cap similar to FRS rules), allow 30 days for acceptance and return the item to the commission for final action. City Attorney Jacob Horowitz advised that the city could also seek declaratory relief through the courts, but that issuing a settlement offer first was a legally viable and pragmatic step. The motion passed on a recorded vote (Smith: yes; Mallozzi: no; Katzmann: yes; Schroeder: yes; Mayor Karen: yes).
