Burris recommends 11 pension task force members

Springfield City Council is one step closer to finding a solution for the city's Police and Fire Pension Fund shortfall.

At council's Monday night meeting, City Manager Greg Burris recommended a list of 11 people to serve on the soon-to-be-formed Police and Fire Pension Fund Task Force, which will be charged with coming up with a solution to the fund's $190 million shortage.

The city took applications in March to serve on the council, and the 11 names on the list were those that received "yes" votes from at least seven council members.

Burris recommended council approve the names, with three more people to be added by the new council after today's election. Council plans to finalize its list of task force members at today's luncheon.

Also at last night's meeting, council passed a resolution spelling out the task force's duties. Among its jobs is finding "a variety of potential methods to provide a multiyear plan that restores and maintains the fiscal responsibility of the plan," according to the resolution.

The group also will meet with all stakeholders and provide written recommendations to the council and city manager's office, ranking one or more recommended options. Burris recommended that the group be given a June 30 deadline, though he said council could extend that date if needed.[[In-content Ad]]Read more Springfield City Council news in SBJ's April 13 issue.