City Tempts Tucson Police and Firefighters with Lucrative Retirement Bonuses

Up to 35 Tucson police and fire employees might receive a $50,000 cash bonus if they opt for early retirement, as proposed by the city.

The incentive package, deliberated by Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and the Tucson City Council, involves payouts for 100 percent of accrued sick leave hours and a medical subsidy covering health insurance premiums for up to three years.

City Manager Mike Ortega outlined the plan to streamline operations and reconfigure the workforce in a memo.

Eligibility for the bonus in the Police Department is limited to sergeants, lieutenants, captains, and assistant chiefs, with a cap of 10 sergeants and 13 commanders.

In the Fire Department, the offer extends to captains, battalion chiefs, deputy chiefs, and assistant chiefs, capped at ten captains and two chiefs.

Each police employee’s payout, including the $50,000 bonus, is estimated to amount to $65,083. For fire employees, the cost is projected at $82,498 each. The medical subsidy per employee would be $28,800.

If twelve employees from each department retire, the total cost would be about $2.5 million.

Ortega noted that savings would depend on subsequent actions within each department. The Fire Department aims to convert commissioned positions to civilian roles.

“It’s not my intent to convert every single vacancy,” Ortega clarified, emphasizing the strategy as a way to reassess service delivery by potentially integrating civilian roles.

Despite no anticipated savings in the first year, Ortega described the initiative as “an investment in future year savings.” After the first year, projected savings for both departments would total around $1.1 million.

Eligible employees will have a narrow window to sign up, with a 10-day period to declare their intent to retire by July 1.

Ortega expressed skepticism about high participation rates and indicated he might need to revisit the budget if the sign-up falls short.

The council requested Ortega provide updates post sign-up period regarding the reorganization of vacant positions.

Tucson Police Officers Association President Roland Gutierrez stated that the union has not yet taken a stance on the incentive plan.