Vicksburg Police and Fire department employees who retired years ago will now receive minimum monthly benefits equal to those that current employees would receive upon retirement.

The Board of Mayor and Alderman adopted the resolution Monday to increase the minimum monthly benefits from $1,130 to $1,415.

For the cost of living, each retiree gets an additional 3 percent of the amount for each year of retirement since 1991, said Paul Rogers, strategic planner for the city.

&#8220That’s what most of them call the 13th check because it always comes in December,” Rogers said.

&#8220We have an older retirement system in place, and when they retired, the amount was fixed, but it didn’t take into consideration the cost of living,” he said.

Retirees are covered under the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi, which was established by the Legislature in 1952. The law changed in 1976, when city workers in the fire and police departments qualified under the same system.

&#8220A number of step increases have been made in the past,” Rogers said.

The benefits to the 67 affected retirees, totaling about $19,100, are paid from a specific tax levy on city property and have nothing to do with Social Security, Rogers said.

Alderman Sid Beauman thanked the dozen retirees at Monday’s meeting for their hard work and years of service.

&#8220The management of funds through the city has been good, and because of that, we’re able to give you all a raise,” he said. &#8220It goes without saying that we appreciate what you and your husbands and wives did for us.