Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
“With the percentage of our state budget dedicated to pensions decreasing over time, there’s an opportunity to redirect those savings to property tax relief,” said La Ha.
What? Pension costs are decreasing? This article seems to be missing something. Or maybe I am.
Pension costs will never decrease. Not now that Amendment 1 is in the constitution. Illinois taxpayers shot themselves in the foot and infection is going to kill the host.
I believe you are missing some key words. Percentage of our state budget dedicated to pensions has been decreasing. That doesn’t mean pension payments are decreasing. Instead it reflects the growth in revenue.
Increase in revenue that barely paces inflation, and trails our surrounding states! BURN!
It’s hard to believe the pesion obligations are decreasing over time and JB wants to eliminate the new tier 2 pensions and revert them back to teir 1 letting all state employee’s, which includes teachers, retire with 100% pay at 55 instead of 67 like the rest of us stiffs also not getting 100% retirements, mostly none!
Do you get paid to lie or is it just complete ignorance? JB doesn’t want to eliminate tier 2 and tier 1 doesn’t get 100% pay at 55.
Nothing about what you said on Tier 2 is correct.