Police Chief Cashes in Unused Sick Days for $160k Payout

“City employees reap big payoffs for not calling in sick”

Updated May 6, 2013 at 10:03AM

Advocates for higher taxes and more government love to tell taxpayers that there is nothing left to cut in government. The Green Bay Press Gazette may have found another area of potential savings:

“Finance Director Dawn Foeller said the city budgeted $600,000 for sick-day payouts last year, and officials had no idea those retirement payouts would exceed $1.8 million.”

Local governments are not alone in bearing the cost of massive sick leave payouts. The MacIver News Service reported previously on the costs that state government has incurred.

In the first three quarters of 2011, nearly 2,700 retiring employees had banked nearly 43 weeks of sick leave on average, which converted to more than $340 million that retirees could use for post-retirement health care.

Under Act 10, state and local units of government now have the ability to control these outrageous costs. The question is, do they have the political courage to stand up for the taxpayer or will they instead continue to ask for more of our money from the state?

Good work Press Gazette. Read the entire article here.