(a) Purpose. To establish guidelines for addressing an employee request to retire and be rehired in the same position with the Village of East Palestine.
(b) Policy. The Village of East Palestine would like to take advantage of reducing labor costs of staff by allowing them to take their retirement benefits earned under the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System ("OPERS") or the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund ("OP&F") and remain employed by the Village at a reduced salary. The Village recognizes the benefit of retaining experienced employees and their institutional knowledge.
(c) Responsibility. Each department head shall inform departmental staff of the guidelines set forth in this policy. However, it shall be the responsibility of each employee to understand the provisions of the policy, the implications on their retirement benefit and initiate any request to be rehired.
(d) Guidelines.
(1) The Village Manager may rehire employees who are in good standing with the Village, and who are members of OPERS or OP&F, who have retired from public service from the Village, provided employee members of OPERS have a minimum of thirty years of service credit or the employee members of OP&F have a minimum of twenty-five years of service credit and otherwise meet the retirement eligibility as set forth in the attached OPERS and OP&F schedules. No retiring employee shall be rehired, in the event they have retired due to disciplinary action, or voluntary retirement with disciplinary action pending.
(2) Whether or not to rehire an employee is at the sole discretion of the Village Manager. Retired full-time employees may be rehired in a full-time capacity by the Village under the following conditions:
A. Beginning with the first day following the employee's retirement date, the employee's pay rate shall be reduced by five percent. The employee shall receive increases at the rate negotiated during the course of the employee's tenure.
B. A rehired employee shall pay the employee share of OPERS or OP&F, as the case may be.
C. A rehired employee shall not be required to serve a probationary period.
D. In accordance with state law, a rehired employee shall be eligible to earn overtime and/or compensatory time as available to all other Village employees.
E. A rehired employee will continue to earn vacation time, personal time, and sick time as if the employee's employment had not been interrupted.
F. A rehired employee shall receive accrued vacation pay, personal time, and sick leave termination pay upon termination of employment of the rehire employment period.
G. A rehired employee shall retain his/her rank and seniority as if the employee's employment had not been interrupted.
H. A rehired employee shall remain eligible for promotion to any position in which he/she is qualified to serve.
I. In accordance with the pension system regulations, a rehired full-time employee shall be offered the same health, dental and life insurance benefits as offered other full-time employees.
J. The rehired employee shall remain in the rehired position for a period not to exceed eight years.
K. Rehired full-time employees shall acknowledge in writing their acceptance of the terms of the retire/rehire policy prior to being rehired.
(e) Retired full-time and part-time employees may be rehired on a part-time basis, at the Village Manager's discretion, but otherwise shall not be subject to the provisions of this policy. These employees shall be subject to the same employment policies as all other newly hired part-time employees and will not carry over any benefits from their full-time employment.
(f) The rehire of an employee subject to appointment or confirmation by Village Council shall also be subject to the provisions of the Ohio Revised Code and policies of OPERS or OP&F.
(g) This policy is subject to amendment at the sole discretion of the Village.
(Ord. 8-2022. Passed 3-28-22.)