Communities across Illinois are calling on state lawmakers to protect taxpayers from unfair tax hikes and to invest in local projects and services.
Public Safety Pension Reforms Must Be Protected
Proposals in the Illinois State Legislature to dismantle hard-fought pension reforms could mean higher property taxes on residents. These reforms were fairly negotiated with all parties more than a decade ago to prevent a financial crisis caused by unsustainable costs. Even with these reforms, many communities are struggling to afford pension costs. Rolling back these protections would bring us back to that financial crisis and put the pension benefits of our police officers and firefighters at risk.
Why This Matters
- Taxpayers Fund Pensions – The retirement benefits of the police officers and firefighters that protect your community are funded by your local tax dollars, not the State. Changes to pension benefits could impact your property taxes.
- Our Current Pension System Is More than Fair – Our municipal police and fire pensions were reformed to ensure a more stable and affordable pension system for taxpayers while maintaining generous retirement benefits for first responders.
- Undoing Reforms is Reckless to our Taxpayers – Without these reforms, our communities would face devastating increases in pension expenses, putting us back on a path toward a financial crisis. Local leaders will face difficult decisions in order to fund public safety pensions, such as raising property taxes and/or cutting municipal staff or services.
- Long-Term Financial Instability – Dismantling these protections would unravel more than a decade of progress. Without financial stability, the security of the pension system, and therefore the pension benefits of first responders, would be at risk.
Taxpayers cannot afford to go backwards. Protect first responder pensions and taxpayers by maintaining the pension system.
What is Safe Harbor?
Safe Harbor refers to the federal standards that ensure state pensions provide sufficient benefits compared to Social Security. Tier 2 municipal police and fire pensions have been in compliance with Safe Harbor since 2019 (P.A. 101-610).
Take Action!
Let your legislators know that taxpayers cannot afford a roll back of more than a decade of progress on public safety pensions. Urge Illinois lawmakers to protect our pension stability.
Tell Your Legislators: Hands Off Public Safety Pensions!
Join the fight to keep your community’s pension system fair and affordable.
Who Is Supporting This Effort?
