Yukon council approves retirement-plan adjustment for police chief, citing succession needs

The Yukon City Council approved an amendment to the city's defined-benefit employee retirement plan that grants additional credited service to the police chief and puts succession planning in place ahead of the chief’s expected retirement in July 2026.

Council members said the change is intended to allow an orderly succession for the chief of police and related personnel moves. Acting City Manager explained the change credits the chief who is in office before July 1, 2026, with roughly 1.978 additional years of credited service to facilitate transitions across leadership ranks. “This gives us enough time to work through that succession process,” the acting city manager said.

The plan change was presented as an addition to the retirement plan’s language (an added Section L in the plan document) and was introduced with a motion to approve the ordinance number 14-75. At the roll call on the ordinance: Vice Mayor Jeff Wooten voted yes; Council Member Shelley Selby voted no; Council Member Adam Shriver, Council Member Ronnie Zimmerman and Council Member Bridal Gilmore voted yes; the ordinance passed. Council members then approved the emergency clause for the ordinance by unanimous recorded vote.

Council and staff discussed the fiscal impact. Staff described the incremental normal cost of the change as about $21,000 per year; during discussion the broader pension liability for the city’s defined-benefit plans was described as a little over $20 million. At one point an earlier figure was referenced in the meeting packet (described as “give or take $3,300,000”), and staff clarified the accounting distinction between total liability and the annual normal cost of the specific change. The council asked HR to model whether similar crediting could be offered to other long-tenured employees; staff said the HR director is exploring options and will report back prior to the July 15 meeting.

Proponents said the year-long lead time allows the city to manage a multi-position succession chain without destabilizing public-safety operations; at least one council member said she opposed offering the change for only one person and preferred a broader policy applicable to other long-tenured employees. The ordinance and its emergency clause were enacted to take effect immediately to preserve continuity in the department’s succession planning.