The notice below went out to all North Bay Cities and, most likely, to all cities throughout the state.
I know of two Marin cities who plan to discuss the impact of pension debt on their budgets at upcoming town meetings, starting next week. Those cities are Novato and San Anselmo. Be sure to check the information on your city's website and attend those meetings.
Only citizen/voter/taxpayer involvement can assure reform efforts.
The League of California Cities filed an amicus brief in the case of CalFire vs CalPERS, which will be heard by the State Supreme Court shortly. I have attached a copy of their brief.
Here are two more highly informative documents issued by the League of California Cities:
An ad hoc committee of the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) is again studying this issue, as they did in 2011. To see which of your elected officials are serving on this Pension and OPEB Reform committee, the link is: http://mccmc.org/committees/pension-opeb-reform/
I'm trying to find out if the deadline for filing amicus briefs in CalFire vs CalPERS has passed, or if the County still has time to reconsider. I am not aware of any planned public meeting by the Board of Supervisors to discuss the issues as outlined in the notice from the League of California Cities - issues that quite obviously also impact County government. They should hold such a meeting, and it should be scheduled in the evening so that working taxpayers can attend.
Survey Confirms Need for More Tools to Sustain Pension System and Local Services
February 1, 2018
A report released today by the League of California Cities®, Retirement System Sustainability Study and Findings, confirms that pension costs for California cities are approaching unsustainable levels, and that cities need more tools and options to ensure they are able to retain and attract public sector employees and continue to deliver high quality municipal services to residents.
Dozens of city leaders in recent months have testified before the CalPERS Board of Administration on the urgent need for more solutions and flexibility at the local level to address the rising costs associated with pensions. These leaders, representing mayors, council members, city managers, finance officers and public safety each told their own cities’ stories during meetings in September and November 2017.
League Executive Director Carolyn Coleman commented on the importance of this study, which follows numerous representatives from California cities giving voice to the challenges they face delivering services as costs increase.
“The League commissioned this study to put analysis and hard numbers to the realities that cities up and down the state are experiencing with growing pension costs,” said League Executive Director Carolyn Coleman. “As the amount cities have to pay into CalPERS each year increases, it puts a great strain on their ability to maintain service delivery levels. The pressures are not only mounting, but will force cities to make very tough choices in the near future. This much-needed data will help inform ongoing discussions with all stakeholders about solutions that will ensure our public sector retirement system is sustainable and that cities have the resources needed to serve their residents.”
Key Findings
The study reveals three key findings:
- Rising pension costs will require cities over the next seven years to nearly double the percentage of their General Fund dollars they pay to CalPERS;
- For many cities, pension costs will dramatically increase to unsustainable levels; and
- The impacts of increasing pension costs as a percentage of General Fund spending will affect cities even more than the state because employee costs, including police, fire and other municipal services, are a larger proportion of spending for cities.
Methodology
Bartel Associates, LLC, a leading California actuarial firm serving only public sector clients, conducted the study that examines costs to cities over a seven-year period between FY 2018–19 and FY 2024–25. The analysis was based on two main sources: CalPERS’ June 30, 2016, public agency actuarial valuation data and the League’s Oct. 18, 2017, City Survey. The study was limited to pension liability only and does not reflect the costs to cites associated with active or other post-employment benefits such as health care.
The complete report is available at www.cacities.org/pensions.