NORFOLK, Va. - Retired city employees in Norfolk have a lot of discontent with current mayor Paul Fraim.
Tuesday, they met to express their frustration at a City Council budget meeting.
The retirees were hoping to get a cost of living adjustment, known as COLA. As the cost of living goes up, they want their retirement checks to go up too.
According to Councilman Barclay Winn, the city has decided to pay a onetime bonus to 50 % of retirees as a way to preserve their pension plan.
At last week’s meeting Fraim said, “I can’t support a COLA for the retirees and I think it puts at risk future budgets and it could call into question how fully funded the budget it and we have a retirement plan here that we have had for years that has defined benefits.”
The last COLA increase was a 2 % boost in 2013 but the Norfolk Retirement Associations financial adviser said in reality since 2008 they have lost 9% due to inflation.
Chuck Brewer, retired Norfolk Police Department Lieutenant retires, said, “he (Fraim) stifles citizens input and then he comes up and does what he wants to do in the end. This latest incident is the poorest treatment I have ever seen of this council’s treatment of the Norfolk city retirees and employees.”
