Cincinnati retirement system

At least five Cincinnati Council members, with the support of Mayor John Cranley, say the city shouldn't have pension funds invested with companies that own or operate private prisons.

The council members are asking the pension board to report back within 45 days on a divestment plan for the stock holdings in three separate companies.

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley has now selected a firm to lead the search for the next city manager.  He said during his weekly press briefing Thursday he met with about seven companies before hiring California-based Ralph Anderson and Associates.  

He said a representative of the search firm will be in town next week to meet with city council members.  

“And help build out a profile for the search,” Cranley said.  “He intends to be out there pounding the pavement looking for candidates at the end of next week or the week after.”

Cincinnati Council is ready to endorse a process that would let a federal court mediate a solution to the city's underfunded pension problem.  The Budget and Finance Committee voted unanimously Monday for an ordinance to make that happen.  

The ordinance would let the city manager negotiate a settlement agreement with various parties on a long-term solution to the pension issue.  Right now the retirement system is only 61 percent funded and that will only get worse without some action soon.  

Cincinnati Council's Budget and Finance Committee holds a public hearing Monday on a plan to let a federal judge mediate a solution to the city's pension crisis.  

Cincinnati Council could vote next week on an ordinance that would essentially let a federal court mediate a permanent solution to fix the city's currently under-funded pension system.  

Mayor John Cranley introduced the idea Tuesday during a city hall press conference.  

One item up for negotiation could be the compound cost of living adjustments some city retirees now enjoy.  Changing that has been a thorny issue.

Cincinnati voters will decide in November if they want to amend the charter to make changes to the city's troubled pension system.  Those could include finding a way to fully fund the current plan in ten years and requiring new employees to be in 401K style plans similar to those offered by many private employers.  

Cincinnati officials are again looking for solutions after another bad report on the city's retirement system.  It added another $133 million to its unfunded liability last year.  

Council's Budget and Finance Committee heard the presentation Monday.

One Council Member asked if the city can invest its way out of trouble.

Eric Gary, an actuary with Cavanaugh MacDonald, said maybe.

Update 6/5/2013 at 10:20 am:  Documents received from the city show the pension system's unfunded actuarial accrued liability as of 12/31/2012 was $862,122,656.  That compares with the unfunded actuarial accrued liability as of 12/31/2011 of $728,428,380.  That means the unfunded balance increased by more than $133 million during that time.

One section of the report states:

Cincinnati Council held another special meeting Wednesday night to discuss the city's troubled pension system. 

Like many plans around the country it has a large unfunded liability, meaning without changes eventually there won't be enough money to pay promised retiree benefits. 

Council Members Charlie Winburn and Christopher Smitherman called the meeting. 

Preliminary numbers show Cincinnati's Retirement System had an 11.9 percent return on its investments for 2012.  That's better than the 7.5 percent officials had projected. 

That's about the only new information that came from a special city council meeting Wednesday night to discuss the retirement system. 

Council Members Christopher Smitherman and Charlie Winburn called the session. 

Smitherman was upset by who was not at the meeting...