Contact

Hitting the Road with NCRGEA

Patti Dukes on September 11, 2023

Hello North Carolina local government and state retirees! North Carolina Retired Governmental
Employees’ Association’s in-person Local Outreach Meetings took a short break in July and August—
but we’re coming back in September stronger than ever.

NCRGEA is back on the road with seven in-person meetings in September and October. We are fortunate to have our good friends from the NC Department of Insurance’s Senior Health Information Insurance Program [SHIIP] and Humana to advise on your open enrollment processes. Our representatives from AMBA will offer information on supplemental dental and vision programs. These meetings will be a great opportunity to get your questions answered by subject matter experts. Mark your calendars!

REGISTER HERE FOR LOCAL MEETINGS!

Fun for Forsyth County members!

Patti Dukes on August 30, 2023

Do you know how to play pool or would like to learn the game,
all for FREE?

Break Time logo

Well, we have a great deal for you! Shepherd’s Center of Winston-Salem has collaborated with Break Time Billiards and Sports Bar to offer this opportunity. This is a great way to get out of the house and socialize a bit. And, food is there for purchase at Break Time!

In order to participate, you only need to meet the following requirements:

1. Must be at least 65 years of age.
2. Live in Forsyth County.
3. Must get free tickets from Break Time Billiards or Shepherd’s Center.
4. Must take ticket to Break Time Billiard’s counter to receive your free lessons and to play pool. Sign in sheet is at the counter.

Once you have your ticket, you can play during program hours:

Monday–Thursday from 4–6:00pm
Friday from 12–6:00pm

NCRGEA member and District 3 Community Advisory Board (CAB) member, Robin Kelly, is a certified pool instructor and he is there to greet you. To schedule lessons, call Robin at: 336-466-0683. He instructs during program times and is excited to work with you and teach a sport he loves.

For additional information regarding the program, please contact Shepherd’s Center at 336-748-0217.

No doubt, this is a great opportunity to stay active and engaged! We are hoping that you will take advantage and enjoy mingling with others around this sport! NCRGEA membership is not required, so please include your retired friends. Robin may ask you to pose for a picture for our newsletter.

The info flyer is available here, and as always, if you have any questions, please email deryl@NCRGEA.com or phone 919.834.4652 or 1.800.356.1190.

Deryl Davis Fulmer
NCRGEA Community Liaison

Local Government: Framing the Conversation Going Forward

Patti Dukes on August 17, 2023

North Carolina’s strength, beauty, language, and allure come from its land as much as the people who reside in its 100 counties and 552 distinct municipalities. It’s no wonder that our great state has held the distinction of having more dialects than any other state in the United States, driven by its diverse geography from the mountains to sea and the people who have inhabited it from the past to the present. From the lush 221 square miles of Clay County in the far western corner of our state to the expansive Dare County in the east with its 1,562 square miles — we have something special.

The governance of these distinct and unique areas of the state consisting of cities, towns, and villages is consequentially complex, due to the variety of needs dependent on population, geography, and economic factors. The General Assembly grants charter authority for each entity to operate as a governing body under the state statutes and constitution. Hyde County’s three residents per square mile require fewer government services than Mecklenburg County’s 2,055 residents per square mile, though each scenario brings its own challenges to the citizens, county managers, and commissioners. Services offered to residents — and even the benefits offered to local government employees — can vary fairly dramatically. A prime example of this difference in benefits is participation in the Local Government Employees Retirement System (LGERS), which is an optional benefit that may or may not be offered by county our municipality.

LGERS is administered by the Office of the Treasurer and relies on its Board of Trustees to act as the decision-making body regarding its policies and operations. The LGERS Board of Trustees is comprised of 13 members with some serving on the TSERS Board as well. Among the Trustees are its two ex-officio members, the State Treasurer (who chairs the Board), and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Two appointments are made by the General Assembly, and the Governor appoints eight members representing local government in these areas:

  • A mayor or member of a governing body in a city or town
  • A city manager
  • A county manager
  • A county commissioner
  • A law enforcement employee
  • A local government employee
  • A retired government employee
  • An active or retired member of the Rescue Squad Workers’ Pension Fund

Prior to 2006, the General Assembly provided cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) to LGERS participants as part of its budget legislation process. Since 2006, it has delegated responsibility to the LGERS Trustees, but within the framework of these existing legislative restrictions:

  • Currently allows them to provide up to 4% as long it does not exceed the Consumer Price Index.
  • Only allows a COLA to be paid based on record of investment gains and losses during the preceding three-year period.

As the chart below shows, investment losses with the 2008 Great Recession set a course for the widest historical disparity between retirement disbursements and inflation. What is not reflected on this chart, from 2021 to present, is an additional 16% increase in the CPI-U (inflation rate).

LGERS graph

To put context to these roughly 30 months, is the reduction in buying power is nearly the same as what occurred in the decade between 2010-2020 (17.6 %). The current reality brings stagnated cost-of-living adjustments for retirees, with contributing factors being changes in the legislative administration of LGERS, rising costs to the counties and municipalities to level up the fund, and the actuarial lowering of return expectations for the fund.

I share this information with NCRGEA members, with the general public, and with any of our elected leaders so that, together, a dialogue can begin on finding opportunities to begin moving forward — away from the current state of “no COLA” for government retirees. TSERS and LGERS participants have significant shared histories and outcomes in regard to COLA. But some unique components of LGERS compared to other pensions managed by the Office of the Treasurer will require broader partner collaborations to resolve these COLA challenges. Casting the vision for a prosperous North Carolina will require a vision for the significant portion of its citizens who work and retire from public service, or North Carolina will fall short of its full potential.

In closing, I leave you with a quote by Albert Einstein that “no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” In context of this message on LGERS, the forces that brought us to this point are to be noted but cannot tether new and innovative ways to improve the lives of governmental retirees, maintain a talented and loyal public service workforce, and encourage the broader economic prosperity of North Carolina.

Sincerely,

Tim O’Connell

NCRGEA Executive Director

Got a Holiday Dessert Recipe to Share?

Patti Dukes on August 2, 2023

Our NCRGEA members have such great talents, and we want to showcase them in an upcoming free digital recipe book of holiday desserts. Here’s how you can participate:

  • Fill in the online submission form before October 25, 2023
  • Choose one of the 4 food categories (you can submit as many different recipes as you’d like!)
  • Write a brief story about what the recipe means to you as an Intro to the recipe!
  • Provide ingredients and cooking instructions and serving size for your recipe
  • Upload a quality image of the dessert under 25mb (optional)
  • Click Send button~ then, set your timers!
  • Digital release of the compiled cookbook will be on our website for free download by November 3, 2023. This is a digital cookbook; NCRGEA will not be providing printed copies

Any questions? Please email info@NCRGEA.com for further information.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT RECIPE

NCRGEA Conferences: See You in September 2023

Patti Dukes on July 5, 2023

LivingPower July-August 2023

Plans are underway for the upcoming NCRGEA Fall Conferences, and we are excited to be heading your way in September at three locations across the state. On Wednesday, Sep. 13, we will be at the Statesville Civic Center; On Tuesday, Sep. 19, you can find us at the Durham Convention Center; and on Tuesday, Sep. 26, the final NCRGEA Fall Conference will be held at the Greenville Convention Center.

Back by popular demand will be some improvements to the schedule and changes in events and sponsor participation, which were introduced last spring at our conference in Hendersonville and scored highly in survey results.

Fall NCRGEA Conferences 2023
REGISTER NOW!

Get ready for plenty of local flair at each conference, including an outstanding lunch served by a local caterer focusing on regional, featured food from the area, and exciting door prizes from local merchants. Another local angle includes having a representative from the local NCSU Cooperative Extension office on hand to lead a presentation on a regional landscaping topic and answer attendees’ questions. “We are making a point to highlight the cultural aspects of each community,” said Tim O’Connell, NCRGEA Executive Director.

Each conference will have our partnering sponsors ready to discuss many aspects of retired life – from healthcare to social security to hobbies and activities. Sponsors will start the session with quick, two-minute introductions, which provides attendees with an overview, helping them decide how to engage throughout the day by to the information and assistance most important to them.

Stephanie Bias, a representative from the North Carolina Department of Insurance’s Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) said, “The approach of the two-minute greeting by the sponsors made a big difference to attendees. It put a face with a name, agency, or business, so attendees could target their visits to the exhibit booths.”
The schedule will allow time for attendees to visit the information tables, visit with each other, and make new friends. “One of our goals is to bring retirees together,” said O’Connell. “This allows them to share ideas and make connections. This time together also allows staff to get new ideas for future programs and events.”

Look for invitations and additional information coming soon with details on registering for NCRGEA’s Fall Conferences in:

9.13.23 Statesville: Statesville Civic Center | 300 S Center St | Statesville, NC 28677

9.19.23 Durham: Durham Convention Center | (inside Marriott) | 301 W Morgan St | Durham, NC 27701

9.26.23 Greenville: Greenville Convention Center | 303 Greenville Blvd SW | Greenville, NC 27834

First NCRGEA Lunch and Learn Series is launched!

Patti Dukes on July 5, 2023

June 28, 2023

Lunch and Learn June28

Thank you to those who today attended this very informative and passionate presentation and panel discussion. The presenters, Dr. Megan Smith, Ms. Rebecca Freeman and Dr. Cheryl Greenberg provided invaluable information and resources for attendees to use to help combat isolation and loneliness. Please take advantage of these resources as they provide helpful information to curtail isolation and loneliness. The presenters have also provided their contact information in their presentation materials. Please feel free to connect with them directly.

If you would like to listen to the recording of the presentation, use this Zoom link and you will need to enter the passcode: L850vP!% . Click to download a copy of the slide deck in .pdf format, which includes resources and speaker contact information.

We are scheduling upcoming Lunch and Learn virtual sessions ~ would you please complete this survey and let us know what topics you are interested in learning? We look forward to seeing you at our next Virtual Lunch & Learn. Watch for information coming soon!

Last Retiree Outreach for the Summer!

Patti Dukes on June 13, 2023

June 13, 2023

Our NCRGEA Community Outreach Coordinator, Jo Lanier, has held 16 community events and had over 250 total attendees across the state this spring and summer. If you have not had a chance to attend, and you want to meet up with other retirees, join Jo on this last summer outreach event Wednesday, June 21 at 10am in Hillsborough NC.

Thanks to our partners and our members for making this event a success! We look forward to seeing you more in the fall! Be sure to keep your email updated with us so we can provide you with notifications on upcoming fun events!

Hillsborough Outreach

NCRGEA Begins a Lunch & Learn Series!

Patti Dukes on June 7, 2023

June 7, 2023

Our Community Liaison, Deryl Fulmer, has heard from many NCRGEA members that they would like information on being Active & Engaged! We have launched a series of virtual Lunch & Learn events for 2023 with professional panelists who will cover many topics that will inspire and inform our members.

This June, our kickoff topic to the Lunch & Learn Series, “Aging Un-Lonely: Staying Socially Connected for your Health,” will be on the topic of the Loneliness Epidemic.

It is no secret that the number of older adults age 65 and older is growing, and many are socially isolated and regularly feel lonely. In this session, you will:

Lunch and Learn June28

    • learn the difference between social isolation and loneliness

    • understand the health implications

    • get tips to combat these health concerns, as older adults are at a higher risk for physical and mental health declines, including dementia and heart disease

Please join us Wednesday, June 28 from 12:30 to 1:30pm for this enlightening conversation with panelists Dr. Megan Smith, UNC-Charlotte, Rebecca Freeman, NC Department of Adult and Aging Services and Dr. Cheryl Greenberg, AARP, to learn more about this growing concern and find out how to age un-lonely and healthy.

This is a virtual event via Zoom. Registration by Friday | June 23 is required. Registration is now closed. Please watch our calendar for future events!

If you have any questions, please email Deryl@NCRGEA.com or phone 919.834.4652.

Congratulations Montrena Hadley: NCRGEA 2023 Lifetime Service Award Recipient

Patti Dukes on May 30, 2023

May 24, 2023

Congratulations to the NCRGEA 2023 Lifetime Service Award recipient, Montrena Hadley, of District 4.  NCRGEA honored retired local government employee Montrena Hadley for her combined 30 years of service to the city of Mebane as Planning Director. Upon retirement in 2020, Hadley was elected the same year to the Mebane City Council and is currently serving as its first Black female member. 

NCRGEA Executive Director, Tim O’Connell, presented her with the award in front of more than 100 members and staff of the North Carolina General Assembly, pictured below in Image 1 on right.  The Association’s President of the Board of Directors, Mike Taylor, was also on hand to present the award, pictured below in Image 1 on left.  Montrena was nominated by District 4’s David Ray and it was the decision of the Board of Directors to select Montrena as this year’s recipient.

We had a great turnout for the Public Service Recognition and Advocacy Day May 24th at Bicentennial Plaza; over 400 attendees were at our lunch catered by Parker’s BBQ of Wilson, including a good portion of the legislators and their staff.

Members, We Want To Stay In Touch!

Provide us your email address and phone number so we can provide timely news and exclusive offers from your association.