Statewide referendum deals with judicial system retirement pay

Tuesday’s ballots include a statewide amendment.

The text reads “Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize the legislature to provide a retirement program for district attorneys and circuit clerks of the state who are first elected or appointed on or after Nov. 8, 2016.”

Currently, district attorneys and circuit clerks make no contributions to their retirement, but still receive retirement pay as part of a current post-retirement supernumerary compensation system.

The proposed amendment would require newly-elected or appointed district attorneys and circuit clerks to contribute 8.5 percent of their salaries to the Retirement Systems of Alabama, just as other state employees do.

Additionally, the amendment would cap benefits and raise the minimum retirement age to 62 for judges and justices. This portion also applies to the district attorneys and circuit clerks. They also would have to work a minimum of 10 years to be eligible for the benefits.

State officials predict this could save $200 million over the next 30 years.

Those who currently hold any of these positions would be grandfathered into the old system.