I have been an employee of Chemung County’s Information technology (IT) Department since 1981. After having served as a Computer Operator, Programmer, Senior Programmer Analyst, Network Administrator and Deputy Director of IT, I was appointed to serve as the IT Director in 2014.

With nearly 38 years of service to Chemung County, I have been eligible to retire for some time. As set forth in the attached letter, I love my job combined with a desire to build on my retirement, I continued to work beyond retirement age.

However, on the evening of December 24, 2018, I received an email from then County Executive-Elect Chris Moss wherein I was offered an opportunity to continue serve as Director of IT services accompanied by a roughly 10% reduction in income. The letter from County Executive Moss is also attached.

When I received the letter, immediately after the Christmas holiday, I contacted the New York State Retirement system to see if I was eligible to retire immediately so I could take advantage of the retirement incentives available at that time. Unfortunately, the law requires that the Application for Service Retirement has to be submitted no less than 15 days before a retirement’s effective date, leaving me without the ability to access December’s incentives. Had I been informed of the proposed change in my salary no less than 15 days before the end of the December, I would have chosen to retire and been able to take advantage of the incentives.

The Chemung County Legislature is respectfully asked to approve a resolution allowing me to retire now as though I was doing it more than 15 days before the end of December 2018 so that I am able to take advantage of the retirement incentives available at that time. I would like the incentives to be based upon my accrued time and salary at the end of 2018, and I will forfeit the vacation, personal and sick time he received in 2019.  

To the best of my knowledge, (1) no other retirement-eligible employee of Chemung County was informed of a reduction in income less than 15 days before the end of December 2018; and (2) County Executive Moss supports this resolution.