Jackson to examine retirement benefits for employees

The Jackson Board of Aldermen took a step Monday night that could lead to an increase in the retirement benefits of city employees.

The perfunctory acceptance of a report from the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System clears the way for the city to change its benefit system if it decides to do so by the end of the calendar year. City administrator Jim Roach said employees asked the city to consider the change.

Passing the resolution does not commit the city to making any changes.

Monday's 20-minute board meeting was a near record for brevity.

One order of business was the setting of a special joint meeting with the Cape Girardeau City Council at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau.

The annual joint meeting between the two cities' governing bodies was started in 1997 by Jackson Mayor Paul Sander and then-Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III.

At the time, the cities wanted to discuss boundary issues and the future of Center Junction but since then those have been settled.

The idea of creating a connection between the two cities' water supplies for use in an emergency was discussed initially but little progress has been made, Roach said.

"Both Cape and Jackson have water issues of their own," he said.

Now that the Missouri Department of Transportation has approved an Interstate 55 interchange at East Main Street, the two cities have some details to work out there.

Roach said he doesn't yet know what the agenda for the meeting will look like.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182