SEQUIM — New Police Chief Bill Dickinson, who is paid $93,000 a year and receives full city benefits, does not work full time, City Manager Steve Burkett confirmed Tuesday.
Rather, Dickinson, hired Sept. 7, takes a few extra days off each month to protect law enforcement retirement benefits of almost $70,000 annually, Dickinson said Tuesday.
Dickinson works what amounts to 21.5 days fewer annually than employees who work 40 hours a week and 52 weeks a year and who total 2,080 hours a year, not including vacations and holidays, Burkett said.
“I’ve heard lots of people raising concerns about this,” Burkett said, adding that Dickinson is salaried and doesn’t punch a clock.
“One rumor said he was working half time.”
Dickinson said he objects to being referred to as part time.
“The correct term is less than full time,” Dickinson said.
“‘Part time’ suggests a person who works 20 hours a week.
“A couple of citizens talked to me about it and said, ‘Gee, you’re part time,’ and I said, ‘I only work four weeks a month.’ They looked at me like that doesn’t sound like part time.
“Four weeks a month is virtually full time, but it’s just short,” Dickinson said.
To maintain his state law enforcement pension, Dickinson, 60, does not work more than 159 hours a month — a day less than four full workweeks — and does not work more than 1,908 hours a year, Burkett said.
That’s 172 hours fewer annually than the usual 2,080-hours-a-year worker and equals 21.5 workdays, or more than a month of total workdays off, to protect his retirement.
Dickinson also received 10 days of vacation at hiring and will get 20 days of vacation a year along with 11 paid holidays and one floating holiday.
“I typically work one or two days less a month to keep myself at four weeks a month,” Dickinson said.
He added that he earns less than the $106,000 he would be making if he were hired at the top end of the salary scale offered when the city advertised the position.
The arrangement allows Dickinson to receive retirement benefits from the state Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters (LEOFF) 1 pension system, Burkett said.
“Once you are retired and receiving benefits, you are restricted to 159 hours a month,” Burkett said.
“Otherwise, you can’t receive benefits.”
Dickinson estimated he receives “close to $70,000” in LEOFF benefits annually after 39 years in law enforcement, including 30 with the King County Sheriff’s Department, retiring in 2003 at age 53.
But he kept working, becoming the Tigard, Ore., police chief before being hired by Sequim.
Dickinson is not on the state Public Employees’ Retirement System through the city of Sequim but does have some of his compensation deferred, Burkett said.
Dickinson said the city contributes to his deferred compensation fund.
He also receives employee benefits, such as medical insurance, as does any city worker who puts in 30 hours a week or more, Burkett said.
The state Department of Retirement Systems administers the LEOFF program.
“We don’t use the terminology ‘part time,'” agency spokeswoman Dawn Gothro said Tuesday. “We just have the designation of 160 hours being full time, fully compensated.”
Dickinson’s contract with the city is not unusual, Burkett said.
“There are lots of police chiefs out there and other law enforcement professionals who are already retired under the state pension system and, because they don’t want to stop working at a young age, have contracts to work as police chiefs and other law enforcement professionals.”
Police Lt. Sheri Crain is Dickinson’s second-in-command and is the supervisor when Dickinson is not working, Burkett said.
If an emergency were to arise, though, and if Dickinson had reached his monthly quota of hours, “he just does the job that needs to be done,” Burkett said.
“Some accommodation would be made,” Burkett added, suggesting Dickinson might get extra days off the following month, adding that — depending on the work required — he might work 40 hours or 60 hours in one week.
“Let’s get reasonable here,” Burkett said.
“Who do you think will do the job? He’s the police chief. He will do the job. We’re not going to call someone else in here because he’s reached 159 hours this month,” he said.
Gothro said Dickinson’s LEOFF benefits will not be jeopardized if he “occasionally” works more hours than allowed and was not regularly scheduled to do so.
Dickinson was selected from among 60 applicants for the position held by Bob Spinks, whom Burkett asked to resign and whose last day was July 2.
Spinks worked a standard full-time schedule, Burkett said.
His salary was $86,299, or $6,701 less than Dickinson’s.
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Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
