The Eureka City Council will look Tuesday at approving so-called “golden handshake” offers for six employees as the city braces for some difficult budget decisions in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the agenda, the retirement offers will save the city nearly $500,000.

The employees talking early retirement include longtime Sequoia Park Zoo Director Gretchen Ziegler and Eureka Police Department Senior Detective Ron Harpham. The agenda summary for the item states that the savings will “enable the city to realize essential City Council priorities in the FY 2020/2021 budget while continuing to operate effectively with less cost.”

Read the summary here.