Legislator: Elected officials wrong for "double-dipping"

A Little Rock house representative says some elected officials are drawing a full pay check and retirement benefits at the same time. The practice is called "double-dipping" and it's illegal.

Representative Allen Kerr tells FOX16 his investigation is just beginning and could include more elected officials. The legislature passed a law 10 years ago, to make it easier for public employees like teachers and state police to draw retirement while still working. That is legal.

But it was never intended for elected officials to take advantage of. "They have the public trust and, in my opinion, when they do something like this they violate the public trust," Kerr said.

House Rep Allen Kerr is looking over a list of 130 elected officials who also are drawing retirement. Some may be legit, but Kerr suspects many are not. What's happening?

County elected officials go off the payroll for 90 days, but keep working; they apply for retirement benefits and then after 90 days, get back on payroll and collect retirement, two full paychecks. "Not exactly fair in a time when a lot of Arkansans aren't getting one paycheck," Kerr said.

"As a taxpayer, I would be outraged," Sue Vaughn said. Sue Vaughn is on the Garland County Quorum Court which has learned three elected officials are accused of doing just that.

Vaughn says she learned treasurer Jo-West Taylor, Assessor Brenda Short and Circuit Clerk Vicki Rima all took themselves off the county payroll for three months last fall but kept working.

"I should have known. As human resources chairman I should have known," Vaughn said.

David Goins says: "You feel like these three elected officials intentionally kept this information from you?" Sue Vaughn says: "yes...I do."

Trying to get answers, we were told all three of the elected officials were out of the office today.

Attorney general Dustin McDaniel issued a statement saying he's surprised by some of the things he's learned but he's not prepared to make further comment at this point, but as the investigation goes on he says his office will be personally involved.

"I think even if it's legally ok, that it certainly is not morally ok," Vaughn said.

"It's beyond my comprehension if they're an elected official that they would not follow the statutes and the law to the letter," Kerr said.

Kerr says he found out something was going on during the last legislative session when the Arkansas Public Employee Retirement System says it was financially strapped. Kerr says there's no explanation for that, other than people dipping into the retirement system who haven't actually retired.

Kerr says he is working to get a list that dates back 10 years to find elected officials who could be "double-dipping".