How much will New Hanover County save in Sheriff Sid Causey’s early retirement?
Former Sheriff Sid Causey’s retirement brought New Hanover County less than $1,000 in savings in salary for this fiscal year. But officials said the move will bring greater savings next year, when the county doesn’t pay him the retirement incentive he received this year. Causey’s term would have continued into the summer of 2010. Facing a $3 million budget gap, New Hanover County [Map this] offered longtime employees financial incentives to take early retirement. Employees with 30 years or more of service received the greatest incentive, which was 480 hours of their salary, said Interim Human Resources Director Andre Mallette. Since Causey had worked in area law enforcement for more than 30 years, and currently earned a salary of $144,226, he received the maximum incentive, which was $33,282.91, Mallette said. Since Causey’s replacement, Sheriff Ed McMahon, earns $110,000, the county saves $34,226 by paying McMahon a lower salary than Causey was due to receive this year. The net saving
