BEIJING (25News Now) – The Beijing City Council is considering relying on taxpayers to increase annual contributions to police and fire department pensions.
At Monday night’s regular meeting, council members and city staff discussed a 4.99% increase in the city’s property taxes for fiscal year 2026. That means the city will collect nearly 5% more from property taxes. For a home valued at $150,000, the annual tax bill would increase by $22.68.
The state is asking all municipalities to provide full pension benefits for both police and firefighters by 2040. However, Illinois has not always had such a pension system.
“We haven’t properly funded it for years, and now we’re getting it back, and it’s hard,” said Beijing Mayor Mary Barres.
According to the City Finance Bureau, 37% of police pensions and 56% of firefighter pensions are unfunded.
The government wants Beijing to pay just over $2 million in police pensions this year, which would cover 40% of expected salaries. The desired contribution for the fire service pension is almost double that amount, but it will cover 72% of your salary.
The city doesn’t have to contribute the full amount each year, but a portion of firefighters and police officers’ salaries goes directly into the fund.
“Our pensions are very high, but I think it’s important to tell our history. We’ve had more staffing, we’ve gotten more calls, we’ve expanded our scope of work,” said Deputy Fire Chief Tony.・Mr. Lendleman said.
The phase or benefit level at which a first responder retires affects their overall funding requirements. Tier 1 has better benefits.
The police department has 74 retired members receiving pensions, and the fire department has 86.
City Council members took no action Monday night on the potential tax increase. City leaders have not said when that decision should be made.
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