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Retiree calls for $400 pension increase; mayor clarifies board’s intent and funding uncertainty
Summary
A retiree told the council the pension board had unanimously voted for a $400 increase for all retirees; Mayor Woodfin said the board expected any raise to come from a pension surplus and that other budget options remain under discussion.
A retiree who identified himself as a city retiree told the council a recent pension board vote had been unanimous in favor of a $400 increase for retirees and urged the council to allocate funds from the operating budget to make the payment permanent.
Dexter Cunningham told the council the April pension board vote was unanimous among those present and that some retirees had not had increases in more than 25 years. “A $400 per person increase would have cost approximately $18,000,000,” Cunningham said, and asked council members to allocate funds.
Mayor Randall Woodfin responded in open session and said the pension board members acted with the expectation that, if a pension surplus existed, the $400 request could be paid from the surplus. “Every pension board member voted in the hopes that if there was a pension surplus, then this request of $400 for every retiree would come out of that fund,” Woodfin said. He added that when discussions turn to operating‑budget support for the request, negotiations and good‑faith compromise will be necessary and that the matter remains at a standstill without those elements.
City staff and the mayor did not announce a binding operating‑budget appropriation or a definitive surplus amount during the meeting. No formal council vote on the retiree request occurred at the session.
