Over 30 years of retirement, Gardiner would collect as much as $499,416, according to a projection by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes Sangamon Sun.
The projection assumes Gardiner received $10,497 in the first year of retirement, then 3 percent annual increases thereafter, compounded.
After 4 years of retirement, Gardiner will have already received $43,915 in retirement benefits, or more than the sum total of the retiree's contributions to the state pension fund.