Should Cities Eliminate Pensions?

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Last night I attended an editorial board meeting with a local newspaper. Of the eight candidates for Murrieta City Council, seven of us were in attendance. During the meeting one of the questions posed was regarding pensions. Because of spending issues with cities, especially since the Bell fiasco, pensions have become a hot issue.

The other candidates danced around the issue, and so my more direct response caught a few off guard. I am adamant about excessive spending, and indicated that the practice of providing pensions to elected officials should be eliminated immediately.

Regarding pensions for city employees, I stated it is a burden on the city to pay persons money for the remainder of their lives (or until the pension runs out, whichever comes first) after they no longer benefit the city, and in some cases don't even live in the city anymore. I did not provide all of the details of my stance due to time constraints, but my stance regarding pensions for retired employees is multi-faceted. Pensions for city employees has become quite costly, and are an increasingly unreasonable unnecessary burden on the city. People should be responsible enough to provide for their own retirement.

Current pensions must be honored. The pension programs for future employees needs to be reformed toward making them a more private-based fund. Eventually, the city must ween itself completely out of the pension business. Expenditures like pensions grow with each passing year, placing a heavier burden on the city each year. Such programs are doomed in the long run due to the city's inability to maintain the constant increase year to year of such spending without a guarantee of a corresponding increase in revenue. Eventually, the pensions become unsustainable.

The goal of government should be to protect its citizen's rights and property (hence the importance of police, fire, and emergency services), while providing a suitable environment that includes promoting local businesses, jobs, and service oriented companies. Anything beyond that is usually excessive, and therefore ought to be curtailed, and in some cases eliminated.

Once spending is decreased, then the city can concentrate on increasing its emergency fund, and any other funds needed for the city to handle its own affairs in all situations.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary