Tag Archives: pension fund

Parker proposes new firefighter pension plan

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see about this. With the city of Houston facing huge and rising pension costs, Mayor Annise Parker on Thursday unveiled a proposal to put new firefighters in a separate, less generous plan that would do away with expensive automatic … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Council votes to sue over bad pension projections

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Houston City Council on Wednesday paved the way for city attorneys to sue an actuarial firm the city claims gave inaccurate pension estimates that spurred costly changes to firefighters’ retirement benefits in 2001. […] Houston’s contribution rate to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Council votes to sue over bad pension projections

Another pension-related lawsuit coming?

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a little blast from the past. The city of Houston may sue a company whose advice it relied upon in making changes to firefighters’ retirement benefits in 2001, saying the firm’s inaccurate predictions left the city on the hook … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another pension-related lawsuit coming?

Firefighters union rejects contract deal

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The contract rejected Tuesday by 93 percent of the roughly 2,900 firefighters voting would have taken a similar approach, granting a pay raise in exchange for concessions on members’ ability to take leave. With the no vote, as of … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City reaches contract agreement with firefighters

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Give a little, get a little. Houston firefighters would give up some of their ability to schedule time off in return for a pay hike under a tentative new labor contract that city officials hope will enable them to rein … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City reaches contract agreement with firefighters

We’ve got some budget challenges coming

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some chickens are coming home to roost. Beginning next summer with fiscal year 2016, Houston will face a projected $142 million gap between expected revenues and expenses in its general fund, which is fed chiefly by property and sales taxes … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

City sues HFRRF again

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: In the face of growing concern about its ability to meet long-term retiree pension obligations, the City of Houston filed a lawsuit today against the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF), one of three pension systems … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City sues HFRRF again

What’s on the agenda for Mayor Parker in her third term

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Mayor Parker has been safely re-elected, with a better-than-expected margin, what does she plan to do from here? A triumphant Parker on Tuesday lauded her “decisive” victory but quickly shifted her focus to the coming two years, listing … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Endorsement watch: For Calvert

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s second endorsement on Friday, and what should be their last for the regular election, was for Rogene Calvert in At Large #3. Experience is valuable on Houston City Council. Council members often spend their first two-year term learning … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: For Calvert

Endorsement watch: Our first twofer

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has two endorsements today, one that was easy and one that was likely more challenging. First, the easy one. In four years as an at-large city councilman, Stephen Costello has gradually become a “go to” guy on two … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A deeper look at the city’s pension funds

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate this just-the-facts analysis of the city’s pension funds. It’s delightfully free of fearmongering and doomsaying, which tend to cloud most stories on the funds. I don’t have anything specific to say about the article, but I do want … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We must destroy the pensions in order to save them

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There’s so much wrong with this I almost don’t know where to begin. Houston is the Titanic – it certainly looks impressive, but icebergs lie ahead. That’s the image that mayoral candidate Ben Hall drew when he talked to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Hall’s five point crimefighting plan

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houstonians do not feel safe in their homes and their communities. Houston’s crime numbers remain dangerously high and criminals are victimizing us daily. The only thing we hear from the Mayor’s office on this issue is silence. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hall and the firefighters

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ben Hall has the support of the firefighters’ union. He has also criticized Mayor Parker for not doing enough to deal with the financial stability of the pension funds. How does he reconcile these two seemingly contradictory positions? Not surprisingly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Chron continues to rage against the pensions

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Hobby horse mounted, away we go! There is something particularly frustrating about municipal pensions, which are funded by the city but controlled by the state. This is a recipe for disaster, which can be seen in ballooning burdens to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Modified teacher retirement bill passes Senate

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Modified again, this time enough to garner support from the teachers. Teachers, the state of Texas and school districts all would pay more to help support the Teacher Retirement System of Texas under a bill passed by the Texas Senate … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Modified teacher retirement bill passes Senate

Modified teacher retirement bill put forth

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like progress, though we’ll have to see how it goes from here. Members of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas objected strongly last week to a legislative proposal that would have required about half of current employees to work … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Modified teacher retirement bill put forth

Senate examines pensions

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This sort of thing always makes me nervous. Legislative proposals to shore up Texas’ two largest public pension funds could require teachers and state employees to work years longer than they must today to get full retirement benefits. For example, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Chronicle is very disappointed in you, Houston delegation

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here they are throwing a hissy fit to express their deep sense of disappointment. Just shy of 6,000 bills were filed in the Texas Legislature prior to last week’s deadline. Nearly half of those came in the usual blizzard of … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Houston’s health care cost problem

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a problem for which there’s no easy solution. Hoping to contain rising health care costs, Mayor Annise Parker recently hiked premiums and cut benefits for employees, a move union leaders said overburdens workers and some City Council members … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

On city delegations and firefighter pensions

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are two points of interest in this Chron editorial about the Legislature and the desire of the city to get a bill passed that would give it some leverage over the firefighters in their fight over the pension fund. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

City pension funds make their case

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This deserves more visibility than it’s gotten. Representatives of Houston’s three employee pension boards told a Houston City Council committee Monday that the sky is not falling and pleaded with council members to be patient in examining the city’s pension … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Interview with Todd Clark and Chris Gonzales of the firefighters’ pension fund

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have written numerous times about the ongoing battle between Mayor Parker and the Houston Firefighter’s Relief and Retirement Fund, which is to say the firefighters’ pension fund. After I noted a legal victory by the city in its attempt … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s all about the pensions

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t stay up to see the end of the Monday Night Football debacle. Whether you endured it or not, perhaps you’re wondering what exactly this particular labor dispute is about. To be blunt, it’s about the NFL attacking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on It’s all about the pensions

Texas’ public pension funds are solvent through 2075

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There was a hearing in the Lege this week about the state’s pension plans, and the good news is that they’re in pretty good shape. The better news is that the members of the Lege’s pension committee recognize that fact. … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas’ public pension funds are solvent through 2075

Here comes the pension fight

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking forward to it. A day of reckoning has arrived in Houston, the city’s financial stewards say, to choose between pensions and pothole repairs. Days after voters in two California cities curbed public employee retirement benefits and voters in … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New frontiers in cost cutting

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, you can cut costs by defaulting on your bills. Why didn’t I think of that? Councilwoman Helena Brown has submitted a budget amendment aimed at solving the city’s decade-old pension problem: Stop paying. Her amendment calls for defaulting on … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

City sues firefighter pension board

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We knew this was coming. The city of Houston sued the firefighters pension board in state District Court on Wednesday in an effort to pry open the retirement system’s books for a look at supporting data behind the $61 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

If you can’t specify it, it’s not wasteful

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

After reading this op-ed by Todd Clark, the chair of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund (that is, their pension fund), I have decided to adopt two rules for all future discussion of the city’s budget. Let me speak … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

It’s always easier to talk in the abstract

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The city of Houston has been papering over multimillion-dollar budget deficits for nine years by borrowing money, tapping its rainy day fund, selling buildings and just plain putting off bills to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A bit of perspective on pensions

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker and current members of Council will receive pensions from the city some day. They also will some day vote on what steps the city should take to deal with the pension system. Is that a problem? “Whenever you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Parker to sue pension boards for more information

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s pensions all the time around here. Mayor Annise Parker said Thursday that her administration is gearing up to sue the city’s pension systems to open their books and preparing a “road show” of pension reforms she will present throughout … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Two views of pensions

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron’s Sunday op-ed pages were filled with pension-related discussion. Here are the citizen members of the Long-Range Financial Management Task Force, fresh off of their report release, taking to the pages to lay out what the city wants from … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Long-Range Financial Management Task Force report is out

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

A little light reading for your Sunday. The report generated criticism before the figurative ink was dry on it. Union leaders criticized the report before it was even delivered to the mayor, with Houston Organization of Public Employees President Melvin … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments