DARKE COUNTY — Members of the Darke County chapter of Public Employees Retirement Inc. (PERI), gathered to install new officers at its bimonthly luncheon at VFW Post 7262 in Greenville Monday.
New officers for the organization are President Anne Vehre, Vice President Ruth Dailey, Secretary Tony Walters, Treasurer Shirley Norris, and Attendance and Contact Chair Vivian Nieport, all of whom were sworn in by outgoing President Robert Downing. New Legislative Officer John Deeter was not in attendance.
PERI is a statewide organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the pensions and benefits of anyone who is already retired or about to retire under Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). It is a political action association which monitors every piece of legislation that is introduced, or that is about to be introduced, and discusses it with its membership.
The group also makes proposals to OPERS, the Ohio Retirement Study Council, and The Ohio General Assembly for improvements to the pension calculations and healthcare benefits.
PERI is composed of eleven districts in the state, each with eight counties. Darke County is a member of District 3, along with Champaign, Clark, Greene, Logan, Miami, Montgomery and Preble Counties.
Each district has an area representative, who is required to be from one of the eight counties and is selected by the State of Ohio’s PERI Board of Directors. The representative keeps all counties within his jurisdiction informed regarding pending legislative matters, insurance changes, and other matters impacting PERI members.
The Darke County chapter recently learned its membership per capita is greater by comparison than some other chapters with larger populations — a tribute to the efforts of past officers and the willingness of members to work together.
At its Monday luncheon, the group heard from Director John Vehre of the Greenville Public Library, who spoke on free programs and benefits offered by the library, including computer classes designed for retirees who may have limited or no computer experience.
The group also discussed challenges PERI retirees faced in 2015, including major changes to their OPERS funded health insurance.
The Darke County chapter’s next meeting is scheduled for June 6. For further information on upcoming events or membership in the group, contact President Anne Vehre by email at [email protected] or by phone at 937-316-8131.
