OTHER COUNCIL BUSINESS• City Council also approved an amended agreement for the new phase of the Tennessee Riverwalk that will extend into St. Elmo for nearly $1.5 million. The funds are from a $1.2 million donation from the Tennessee Department of Transportation and nearly $300,000 in private funds.
The Chattanooga City Council voted Tuesday to keep future retirees who are re-employed by the city from dipping into their current retirement while contributing to a new city pension.
But first council members gave an exemption to two of their colleagues and one other city employee.
The ordinance was drafted after the General Pension Board discovered Councilmen Moses Freeman and Yusuf Hakeem were drawing checks from their city pension, contributing to a new pension plan and making a salary that totaled close to $100,000. Another city employee in the Economic and Community Development Department, Countess Jenkins, was also drawing nearly $40,000 from her pension and paycheck.
After months of studying the discrepancy, the board voted that any future retirees re-employed by the city won’t be eligible to contribute to a new pension and draw their current pension.