Lake Case FAQs

Patti Dukes on March 21, 2022

For questions on this case, please refer to our FAQ page or listen to the recording shared below.

For you game-lovers, we have a new Trivia installation for March! Use this link to enter: tinyurl.com/2p932679. Members are eligible to win, but all may play Trivia! Answers will be found within the NCRGEA website. Good luck~

Congrats, Sherry Beck of District 3!

Patti Dukes on February 24, 2022

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″ text_font_size=”20px”]

Winner of NCRGEA Trivia January 2022~

Sherry Gerald Beck is the winner of the January 2022 Trivia game. She lives in Lexington, NC, located in District 3. Sherry is married to David Beck and has two grown children, a daughter and son-in-law and 2 grandchildren.

Sherry retired in 2013 from South Davidson Middle School where she served as assistant principal. She likes the fact that NCRGEA keeps retirees up to date on the legislature, promoting and protecting our benefits and the great work of our lobbyists.

Sherry stated that the best thing about retirement is staying active. She and her husband are members of the Thomasville Senior Club and participate in several groups who entertain at Senior Centers. She was crowned Ms. Senior Davidson County in 2016. She performs with the “Sassyfrazz” and “Seniors Spreading Sunshine” that perform for seniors throughout many counties. She is learning to clog, belly dance, sing, backup dance and how to play the ukulele.

Sherry’s advice to everyone regarding COVID is to treat this with seriousness. She further advised that we should all go out and be active wherever possible while following CDC guidelines. She said, “Life should continue and not stand still!”

Sherry stated, “I am so excited about being the winner of the trivia game. Everyone should complete trivia for a chance to win. I am pleased to be a member of NCRGEA and have people concerned about my welfare.” Congratulations Sherry Beck!!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Local Government Retirees to See a Spending Boost in 2022

Patti Dukes on February 2, 2022

Legislative Update

North Carolina’s local government retirees will receive a long overdue boost in their annual pensions. In late January the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement Board, which governs the state’s local government pension system, approved an across-the-board 2 percent bonus for local government retirees.

There are more than 77,000 local government retirees in North Carolina who will receive the bonus in October 2022, as pursuant to state law. While local government retirees will receive their bonus, more than 234,000 state government retirees received a similar 2 percent bonus in their December 2021 checks, with another 3 percent bonus also coming in October 2022.

North Carolina Retired Governmental Employees’ Association (NCRGEA) represents both state and local government retirees and worked with state legislators, the State Treasurer, Governor’s office and both local and state retirement system boards to help insure that retired public servants would see a pension boost. NCRGEA Board of Directors President Vann Langston said he hopes the treasurer’s support of the 2022 bonus is only the beginning of future efforts to abate lost pension values for both local and state retirees.

“Retired public servants have suffered long enough,” Langston said. “Local government retirees have suffered the most, being overlooked for nearly a decade. Our association would like to see this as the beginning to restore retiree pension values to maintain quality of life,” Langston explained.

Normally, the local government pension system will only provide a cost-of-living adjustment through additional contributions from local governments. Langston explained that NCRGEA worked with the treasurer and retirement system trustees to have the $59 million bonus provided by investment returns rather than increased contributions by local governments.

“This bonus will be provided without placing additional hardships on our local governments,” Langston pointed out.

Historically, the state provided annual cost of living adjustments for both state and local retirees. However, as the Great Recession of 2009 crippled investment returns and lawmakers scrambled to cover the state’s bottom line, cost of living adjustments became few and far between. A decade’s long shift has occurred since, where lawmakers and other decision makers are now more inclined to provide one-time bonuses rather than recurring adjustments.

NCRGEA, with over 66,000 members, is the largest governmental retiree association in the United States. There are over 320,000 state and local government retirees and NCRGEA works for all of them.

Langston noted it was a team effort to help NCRGEA secure the bonus for local government retirees. He also pointed to efforts by the North Carolina League of Municipalities and the North Carolina City and County Management Association as key to successfully securing the bonus.

North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell said the state must take a long view to make sure government retirees will have healthy retirement benefits for future generations.

“We are blessed to have had sufficient market returns to provide this benefit increase to our local retirees, in a fiscally responsible manner,” Folwell said. “Our job is to keep the retirement system solvent for this and the next generation of those who teach, protect, and serve.”

Stay tuned!

Vann Langston
NCRGEA Board Director