Peoria, Ill — Peoria’s way of paying down pension obligations through a direct fee to taxpayers will soon be no more.
Now, it’s about how and where to find the money.
That discussion continued during a special city council meeting Tuesday night.
You’ll remember last week, the city council voted overwhelmingly to approve the end of the public safety pension fee in Peoria.
City Manager Patrick Urich now suggests the city could pull money out of the Police budget for hiring new officers.
“We could reduce the police department’s budget by $621,000. That amount equals roughly 120 months worth of positions that would be vacant.”
According to the Peoria Journal Star, PPD currently has around 615 officers.
Among other possible options, Urich says the city could also pay roughly $2.2 million less in pension money over the next two years.
City Council members couldn’t agree on either approach during the special meeting.
They’ll have to meet on it again. It’s unclear when that will be.
The public safety pension fee for Peoria taxpayers sunsets on New Year’s Day.
