We can name ourselves any salary we decide to, and then we’ll come take your house if we have to so as to pay for the bill at the end of the day. And there’s nothing you can do about it, as we’ve made these agreements that stand forever.
Just contemplate that - using this theory, tomorrow a city council could sit, dictate what the budget would be forever, then just pack up and call it a day. Wouldn’t matter if a new city council was elected, as if these pensions can survive future councils, why couldn’t any arbitrary budget item?
If a city council (or county, or state house, etc) actually holds the budgetary strings, then these pensions aren’t ‘forever and ever’ liabilities. They are a budget item subject to cuts during lean times, and perhaps increases when times are better.
Any other solution effectively makes every government body superfluous.
Crook county getting raises of 6.5%.
Just damn.
More good news for Indiana.
The Hoosier side of the Ill/In border is really booming these days.