Bold claim: retirement benefits for former St. Joseph County council attorneys may have been awarded improperly, tied to hours not worked.
A local investigation is now underway, led by the county council president, into whether benefits from the Public Employee Retirement Fund (PERF) were improperly granted to attorneys who did not meet the required workload.
In a statement, St. Joseph County Council President Dan Schaetzle (R) said his concerns date back to January 2024, citing potential misappropriation of taxpayer dollars funding a state retirement account for the county council’s legal staff. He asserts that he forwarded materials to the Indiana Public Retirement System to review PERF and the related rules.
Under a 1982 law, county employees must log 1,000 hours in a year to qualify for public retirement benefits. Schaetzle contends that some former council attorneys fell short of this threshold yet still received benefits. He also notes that the current county council attorney has not been offered such benefits, claiming eligibility barriers exist.
Schaetzle emphasized the need for professional examination to ensure all rules and regulations were properly followed, stating, “We believe this situation requires professional examination to ensure all applicable rules and regulations were properly followed.”
One former attorney, Jamie O’Brien, describes the dispute as a political stunt. In a written response, O’Brien alleged that Schaetzle is attempting to salvage a declining re-election bid and criticized the councillor’s approach as personally, politically, and professionally hostile. He pointed to prior confirmation from the county auditor that O’Brien received the same benefits as his predecessors and argued that Schaetzle’s ongoing probe signals desperation. O’Brien also referenced an email he said supports his position.
Schaetzle rejected the notion that the inquiry is politically motivated, tracing the issue back to June 1982 and calling for transparency in taxpayer spending.
Supporting Schaetzle, Republican County Council member Randall Figg has claimed that previous reviews found no wrongdoing, characterizing the current push as a political maneuver tied to O’Brien’s bid for Schaetzle’s seat.
Through these tensions, Schaetzle reaffirmed his message to county residents: transparency in local government is essential."
