Audit: City overpaid 50 fire dept. retirees since 1990
A city manager said the miscalculations occurred when the city moved to a "confusing" formula
By FireRescue1 Staff
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — An audit revealed that a city's fire pension board failed to properly calculate fire department retirees' pensions for 27 years.
WSAZ reported that the city overpaid about 50 fire department retirees; City Manager Cathy Burns said the miscalculations started in 1990 when the city moved to a "confusing" formula.
An auditor randomly selected three 2015 retirees and found an overpayment of $300 to $1,000 extra a month.
In January, the city announced a nearly $5 million deficit that included increases in the city's fire and police pension contributions.
Burns said a bill, waiting to be signed by the governor, will help correct pension errors. It is unclear if the city will try to recoup those overpayments from the firefighters.
