[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6544440,"mediaKeyId","3654347-ab9025ff16fd0f7afb3d0ec170738901","parentId",3654347,"title","Payson council discusses using settlement funds to reduce police PSPRS debt; staff to model buy-down scenarios","audioSeconds",720,"startMs",7040000,"endMs",7760000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3654347-ab9025ff16fd0f7afb3d0ec170738901&start=7040&end=7760","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3654347-ab9025ff16fd0f7afb3d0ec170738901/thumbnail_7040000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6544440/Payson/Gila-County/Arizona/Payson-council-discusses-using-settlement-funds-to-reduce-police-PSPRS-debt-staff-to-model-buy-down-scenarios","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544440-b2b9f9b68735c02457bdb0b48410522c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146636&Signature=Uqvzod9b9ESCdViAOm8LLLeNcaOMs1WsXS-EN6JKa3shwOv7rCFOZ8EkWrPiG7jsP7A6It5ZL2hd2OyoMnnAXLPOQAYeGdt89AoLsdZlZlRutW0Tcw8hypNjYkesUD6FmiZAmkqjhO-bnDkh~-J5tOR12nPm45NHyv3x3nYIrGM-jAIRqKoWvDMklURSg419Mn5NZe2EwKTnxrYrX4A7rlRge81WbPH0LNczQZC-nWUXJf7n9IgKOAePjIJkoumhB~GekTa27IQW1AjWpfuq0H1fLfNg6XdTGsUESgd6n~hgmifqWpr7ig81Y6OmVKL~nZEkU2pRneK7fmLhQQMqKg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Payson","date","2025-06-03T00:00:00Z","article","The Payson council on June 3 asked staff to model options for using anticipated settlement proceeds to reduce the town's public-safety pension (PSPRS) unfunded liability and lower future operating costs.

Staff told council the town's combined PSPRS unfunded liability for police and fire was about $19 million, with plan assets covering roughly $28 million. Staff highlighted a police-related liability item (about $9.6 million) that is amortized over the next 12 years and is the single largest short-term pressure on annual operating budgets.

Staff said the town expects to receive PFAS-related settlement proceeds in the next year, roughly estimated between $3.0 million and $3.8 million, and presented the effect of various buydown amounts on funded ratio and annual contribution. For example, staff said a $1 million payment would increase the funded ratio by approximately four percentage points; larger buydowns produced proportionally larger improvements in funded status and annual contribution savings.

Council members asked staff to present concrete scenarios showing how targeted buydowns would affect the annual operating budget (pension contributions) and long-term debt service needs. No final decision was made at the work study; council directed staff to return with options and a fiscal recommendation.

Ending: Staff will prepare multiple PSPRS buydown scenarios using the anticipated settlement funds and show the fiscal and operating-cost tradeoffs for council consideration in a forthcoming session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Payson - Payson Town Council - Work Study - Jun 03, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Council and staff discussed applying anticipated PFAS settlement proceeds to reduce the Town's police PSPRS unfunded liability. Staff reported the town's PSPRS liability and recommended modeling options; council asked for scenarios showing operating cost savings.","taxTitle","Payson, Gila County, Arizona","taxId",60910,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6544445,"Payson council presses staff for detailed contract spending history as engineering positions remain unfilled",640,2080000,2720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3654347-ab9025ff16fd0f7afb3d0ec170738901&start=2080&end=2720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3654347-ab9025ff16fd0f7afb3d0ec170738901/thumbnail_2080000.jpg","/articles/6544445/Payson/Gila-County/Arizona/Payson-council-presses-staff-for-detailed-contract-spending-history-as-engineering-positions-remain-unfilled","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544445-41c807be23322b59fea745e50a793241/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146636&Signature=WtAs6cKweqQVXG6dAj4BdifLcJdLVpUab3cwNiES05Q0dr0wR1kp8LHPxIJt4ys58XojN9ZBU0nTDQDNxluDxJeGEKcA22XWQpHM-d00E~4UH-JHs0NNu8I-5~5dc1cmNe1fH2m6rc7FgIQB4-EpVnHnYtf19Zc7RsAfg8At0eIvw7RZ3e~21UKxv~D9-V1A05bka8iEvxPKFebTKwoA9WmxA-HXdiQamdtibcbHxSgoLYkyeCZo~IRRW-3WkBKJLAeRe9e2IKVKZqDR6x8ZnnxD2SxUzgif13n5uX6ULPF5ikSoz5pq066RD0vrP11w8l7ZU3s2sY0V~b7Rsicu2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Councilmembers pressed town staff on June 3 for a clearer accounting of how much the town spends on contract employees and consultants, after hearing that several engineering-related positions (including town engineer and plan-review staff) remain vacant and have been covered by consultants.

Staff said the town advertises hard-to-fill positions, offers recruitment bonuses and has used an executive recruitment firm (Duffy Group) to broaden outreach into the Southwest. Despite those steps, staffreported recruitment for civil engineers and plan-exam specialists has been unsuccessful and the town has relied on consulting firms and contracted employees (IPM, Brown and Associates, Strand & Associates among others) to keep projects moving.

Councilmembers questioned value and cost: staff said some plan-review work is a pass-through (fees collected cover consultant expenses), while other contracted positions are treated as short-term staff and paid from salary savings. Examples cited by staff included year-to-date invoice totals through April: Brown and Associates ($234,964) and IPM ($577,856), with recent single-month invoice amounts reported. Council asked staff to pull multi-year invoice histories by vendor (not only budgeted amounts) so the council can compare contract spend plus salary-lines to an apples-to-apples total personnel and contract cost measure.

Staff also described staged strategies for replacing vacant roles: hiring engineers-in-training with multi-year certification pathways; offering recruitment bonuses; and using consultants until internal staff can be certified to perform chief-building-official duties. Councilmembers expressed interest in testing alternative contract providers, reviewing contract scopes and potentially increasing salary ranges for \"hard-to-fill\" positions if necessary. Staff said the advertised town-engineer range is $117,000 to $175,000 plus a recruitment bonus.

Ending: Council directed staff to provide historical invoice totals by vendor and an aggregated, multi-year view of personnel plus professional-services spending to inform final budget choices and recruitment trade-offs.","Councilmembers pressed staff for historic invoices and options after hearing that engineering and specialized public works positions have been hard to fill, and that contract firms are being used as stopgaps at significant cost.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6544450,"Payson council narrows FY26 personnel increases, seeks to 'bend the curve' on rising payroll costs",836,288000,1124000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3654347-ab9025ff16fd0f7afb3d0ec170738901&start=288&end=1124","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3654347-ab9025ff16fd0f7afb3d0ec170738901/thumbnail_288000.jpg","/articles/6544450/Payson/Gila-County/Arizona/Payson-council-narrows-FY26-personnel-increases-seeks-to-bend-the-curve-on-rising-payroll-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544450-4da4fba2d4ff48100b43642642bc17e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146636&Signature=Z9uPwNteS0o1Xle5Wenpg2q8IqASAT-Sc8C0RTXlf5dtFPrRNYjPlnvvXVjpmoIAfN~lw2wrW11QpF~3ocR5tZNw9X~3ltQf4FdlSwOA4Y1p-bxmjNal8GbYDrkbhTR-oQyQEUcgKbLxD-xAkJ28pXlZC44U4nLGfprxlEKTLkalvyMKGLCy6nPnLcEOC33Zoz7tyySA2bjuIOn8lujIykR~6g28mdvB5yZcsQy4IUIJ9lLv5weVlTXZqlCPkwlJbQ1punKW58jUTbA2pb~8TSIxmVA1EYub2G0bxbeLt0ddJm1efXa~WwiONNMXR8K1-~TFYH45VMb9I5jZHDddKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Payson Common Council on June 3 reviewed staff recommendations to reduce projected personnel-cost growth in the town's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and signaled informal support for a middle-path plan to reduce the rate of pay growth.

Staff presented three personnel scenarios: the tentative budget baseline (Option 1), a moderated package staff flagged as the staff'preference (Option 2), and a hold-or-freeze package with no market or merit adjustments (Option 3). Each scenario reduces payroll growth to different degrees; staff estimated Option 2 would lower the budgeted increase enough to produce roughly $696,000 in savings compared with the tentative budget, while Option 3 would produce larger savings (about $1.2 million) but risk sharper employee retention impacts.

The discussion emphasized that personnel is the largest recurring cost in the general fund (staff estimated roughly 74% of general fund spending is personnel-related) and that an unresolved structural gap between revenues and expenditures creates risk for FY27. Council members and staff repeatedly framed the question as how much growth to allow this year so the town does not face more severe cuts next year.

Councilmembers repeatedly stressed protecting public safety staffing while trimming elsewhere. Staff said police and fire together account for a large share of personnel dollars and noted that some public-safety step plans produce higher year-over-year increases for lower-paid ranks while capping top-end pay to aid recruitment and retention. Fire and police leadership told the council that a one-year moderation in pay increases would likely affect retention depending on how the change is framed and communicated; the chiefs said recruitment is still competitive but retention could worsen if employees feel undervalued.

Council discussion moved from abstract percentages to operational effects: staff said an administrative hiring freeze (not filling certain vacancies through attrition) could yield about $1 million in one-time savings, but managers warned that leaving some positions unfilled would reduce service levels and, in certain cases, would require relying on external agencies for backup or contract staff. Several council members urged targeted freezes that avoid reducing front-line public-safety hours.

By the end of the session staff reported informal council consensus for Option 2 (moderated range adjustments and a 2% merit band with a smaller employment-cost-index adjustment than the tentative budget). Council also directed staff to return specific line-item analyses and a list of which authorized positions would remain vacant under a temporary hiring freeze. No formal vote was recorded at the work session.

What happens next: staff said the council can still adjust the final budget before adoption; the deadline for adopting the final budget and property-tax levy approaches in late June. Councilmembers asked for at least one additional budget work session to review follow-up numbers before final action.

Ending: Town staff will prepare an apples-to-apples comparison of actual personnel costs (historical actuals) and the three options for FY26, and will return to council with clarifications on operational impacts of targeted freezes and communications steps to mitigate retention risk.","At a June 3 work study, Payson staff presented options to reduce FY26 personnel cost growth. Council signaled informal consensus for a middle option that trims projected salary range adjustments and merit increases while preserving public-safety pay competitiveness and retaining hiring flexibility for critical roles.","actionData","errors"]

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Payson council discusses using settlement funds to reduce police PSPRS debt; staff to model buy-down scenarios

Payson council presses staff for detailed contract spending history as engineering positions remain unfilled

Payson council narrows FY26 personnel increases, seeks to 'bend the curve' on rising payroll costs