Cincinnati retirement system

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.  

A Cincinnati Council Committee will likely vote Tuesday to place a charter amendment on the November ballot that would change the city's retirement.  

The committee doesn't have a choice since the group behind the effort collected enough valid signatures to get the issue before voters.  

The group trying to revamp the city of Cincinnati's pension system says it's submitted almost 16,000 signatures on petitions to put the charter amendment before voters. It needs more than 7,400 valid signatures to make November's ballot. The board of elections still needs to verify the signatures and certify the issue. 

"This is a common-sense approach," said Burr Robinson with the Cincinnati for Pension Reform ballot committee.  "We can't meet our pension obligations, and the problem only gets worse the longer we stick with this current structure."

Cincinnati Council is opposing a campaign to change the city's retirement system. The Cincinnati for Pension Reform Committee has been collecting signatures to put the issue on November's ballot. Council's finance committee today passed a resolution opposing the effort, saying it's not a solution to the city's unfunded pension liability.

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.