The city of Charlotte’s settlement agreement with police Chief Johnny Jennings will pay him $305,000. And at least $59,000 of that payout will also boost the chief’s pension, increasing his post-retirement earnings for life.
Jennings released his settlement with the city on Sunday after Republican State Auditor David Boliek pushed for it to be made public in a letter to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. The city had initially declined to release the agreement.
The settlement calls for Jennings to receive $175,000, in exchange for him promising not to sue the city over threatening text messages he received from former City Council member Tariq Bokhari, who is now a high-ranking official at the Federal Transit Administration.
The two men had a dispute over whether officers should be allowed to wear new protective vests. Bokhari had threatened to try and get Jennings fired and to cripple his legacy.
The city also agreed to pay Jennings $25,000 for his legal fees, though he did not file a lawsuit.
That money — $200,000 — will not be part of the chief’s final salary and can not boost his pension.
But a majority of Charlotte City Council members agreed in closed session to also give Jennings a retroactive pay bump of $14,000, covering all of 2025.
They also agreed to give the chief a “retention bonus” of $45,700 to keep working through the end of the year. That would be paid in two checks. The settlement agreement said that money “will be included in the calculation of his pension award upon retirement.”
That’s an increase of nearly $60,000. The chief’s salary in 2025 is $280,000, according to a Charlotte Observer database.
That’s a one-year pay increase of more than 20%.
In North Carolina, pensions are calculated based on the average of an employee’s four highest-earning consecutive years. A formula factors in the employee’s time of service. Jennings has worked for CMPD for 33 years.
Jennings’ pension was already going to be more than $150,000 annually. That pension will now likely increase by roughly $9,000 a year, based on a WFAE calculation.
He was also given more than $45,000 of extra vacation time — and that, too, could add to his pension should he not take the time off.
It’s possible that Charlotte taxpayers will be on the hook for the higher pension. The state can require governments to pay for pension increases when employees are given large increases in their final year or two of service, which is known as pension spiking.
