ALBANY — Firefighters and fire officers who retired over the last 12 months will collect pensions averaging $119,866 a year, according to data released Tuesday.
The Empire Center, a government watchdog, said its analysis of 15,556 former FDNY members determined that the pensions of new retirees — which already exceed six figures — would be increasing another 6 percent.
Raises in recently settled union contracts are partly responsible, said Maria Doulis of the Citizens Budget Commission.
Tim Hoefer, executive director of the Empire Center, said overall city pension costs are on track to consume nearly 17 percent of tax receipts.
Among the 407 firefighters who retired between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, a dozen will be getting more than $200,000 a year.
A spokesman for the Uniformed Firefighters Association blamed the high pension bills on a federal judge.
“Increased FDNY pension costs are an enduring legacy of federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis’ oversight. His five-year hiring freeze [2008-2013] is directly responsible for increased overtime to keep the understaffed FDNY operational,” said the spokesman.
Firefighters, like cops, receive pensions equal to 75 percent of their income, tax free if they leave on disability and 50 percent taxable under regular pensions.