Focus Sharpens On County Early Retirement Plan Results

Baltimore County expects to save more than $11 million through the elimination of 174 positions in seven departments as a result of its early retirement incentive offering.

Baltimore County officials have been slow to release information on how each department has been specifically affected. Recent budget hearings before the County Council have shed some light on the issue.

The county expects to expects to save a total of $8 million from retirements in the Fire, Police, Property Management and Public Works departments, according to reviews performed by the county auditor's office.

County Executive Kevin Kamenetz announced the early retirement incentive last year. County officials hoped to eliminate 200 positions and save about $15 million annually.

The individual retirements required approval from County Administrative Officer Fred Homan. Most employees were required to leave their positions by the end of February and the jobs were then eliminated.

Last month, Kamenetz announced that more than 600 county employees applied for the retirement incentive. The county approved 310 retirements and estimate the savings will be about $21 million.

This post has been updated to correct the number of positions deleted from the Department of Environmental Protection and Sutainability.