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City of Springfield, Illinois, Must Offer Benefits to Partners

"[Two professors] write to offer our interpretation of the legal status of civil union partners of city employees.... According to a State Journal-Register article from Dec. 20, the Joint Labor/Management Health Care Committee voted unanimously to not offer insurance benefits to civil union partners of city employees. According to the article, some city officials maintain that state law does not apply to the city's insurance scheme, given that the program is self-insured."

Pension Access for All Is Priority for New York City's Public Advocate

"Public Advocate Letitia James wants to create a centrally pooled retirement fund in the next 15 years that would be open to any private-sector New York City worker who doesn't have access to a pension.... Ms. James [recently] told a civic group she will introduce legislation in the City Council ... to establish a seven-member advisory board to study her proposal. The board would be charged with making specific recommendations to the mayor and other government officials."

Is Your City's Pension Fund a Little Short? Marijuana Excise Taxes Might Help

"South Beloit, Ill., faces steep bills to fund its firefighter and police pensions and repave its cracked streets. ... [The city, which is] less than a mile from the Wisconsin state border, will welcome its first cannabis dispensary later this year. Recreational cannabis became legal in Illinois on Jan. 1 but remains illegal in Wisconsin. The Illinois town hopes to collect roughly $1 million a year in taxes on marijuana purchases, mostly by Wisconsinites."

Can a City Make Employers Offer Insurance or Pay a Fee?

Excerpt: As part of San Francisco's push toward broader health-insurance coverage, city businesses with 20 or more employees must offer health insurance or pay a fee that goes toward health care for the uninsured. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court wants to know what the Obama administration thinks of that idea. The city's restaurant association has been fighting the ordinance in court, arguing that federal law says only the federal government can mandate employer benefits. Lower courts have gone back and forth on the issue; the Supremes earlier this year refused to issue an emergency order blocking the fees while the case is pending, the San Francisco Chronicle notes.

Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal from NCTR's Executive Director (PDF)

1 page. The letter is written in response to New York City school's Chancellor Joe Klein's Essay on Pension Funds.

One Kentucky City Did Pension Reform and Lived to Tell the Tale

"Today Lexington is being held up by pension watchers as a model for its sweeping reform. So how were we able to cut our unfunded liability by 45%, (effective the moment Gov. Steve Beshear signed the reform into law on March 14), institute comprehensive benefit changes, and still have a whopping 76% of beneficiaries vote to send the reform package to the state legislature?"

Pittsburgh City Officials May Need Hail Mary Pass As Unfunded Liability Hits $700 Million

By relying on outdated actuarial tables, making only minimum payments, and failing to limit benefits as the number of active workers paying into the plans fell, Pittsburgh has accumulated a $700 million unfunded liability, and its 29.5% funding level is among the lowest in the U.S.

NYC Council Speaker Scuttles Effort to Require All Employers in City to Provide Workers with Paid Sick Leave

Excerpt: The speaker promised to reevaluate the measure if the economy improves. But a person familiar with the matter said Ms. Quinn's decision effectively kills the bill for the foreseeable future because she won't schedule it for a vote.

Unions Attempt Legal and Regulatory Approach to Derail Pension Reform

"Immediately after San Jose's Measure B passed last week, the unions filed a court challenge against the initiative.... In the private sector, employers can reduce employee-pension benefits going forward, but in California, anyway, the courts have prohibited benefit reductions for public employees.... Mayor Chuck Reed explained in response to the union lawsuit: 'Measure B was carefully crafted to follow California law. San Jose is a charter city and the California Constitution gives charter cities "plenary authority" to provide in their charters for the compensation of their employees. San Jose's City Charter reserves the right of the City Council and the voters to make changes to employees' retirement benefits[.]'"

What Austerity Looks Like in Bankrupt San Bernardino

"San Bernardino's austerity plan leaves an atrophied city government, but essential functions remain in place.... Businesses will be even more skeptical about moving to a city where the government can't afford to fill potholes or respond quickly to crimes ... Much of the city's deficit reduction is in deferred payments that have recently earned the ire of [CalPERS] and the [SEC] ... San Bernardino can balance its budget only by boosting revenues, which requires more businesses, not fewer. It's not clear how long the city can continue on this unsustainable path."