N.J. Workers’ $200,000 Retirement Checks Drain Towns

“To say it’s getting out while the getting’s good is too harsh: It’s more like getting out while it’s safe,” Carnevale, 64, who spent 24 years on Hackensack’s payroll and 41 total in municipal government, said in an interview.

Hackensack, a city of about 43,000 people seven miles (11 kilometers) west of New York City, paid $4.6 million of sick and vacation time to 36 retiring workers including Carnevale this budget year. Eight older workers not subject to a city cap on the payments received checks exceeding $200,000. The rush to retire is attributable to Christie’s proposed clampdown on workers’ benefits, City Manager Stephen Lo Iacono said.