JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Bills aimed at making changes to Mississippi’s Public Employees Retirement System have died after failing to survive the latest legislative deadline.
The new PERS Tier 5 took effect March 1, eliminating cost-of-living adjustments for all public employees and raising the years-of-service requirement to 35 years. The changes affect public employees ranging from school teachers to police and firefighters.
First responders sound the alarm
Ridgeland Police Chief Brian Myers said the new tier has created a recruitment problem for his department.
“I even hired a recruiter to help us fill the ranks before March 1, and we have scrambled to get as many people as we can in here who are qualified to do this job,” Myers said…