As scrutiny of pensions has grown, some part-time elected officials in Illinois have opted out of pension plans.
But not in Sangamon County or the city of Springfield.
Springfield aldermen and Sangamon County board members who accrue pension benefits based on part-time work have passed muster in recent years with the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, which stepped up auditing efforts 10 years ago to ensure that local governments comply with statutes, policies and procedures. That includes a requirement that part-time elected officials due for pensions work either 1,000 hours or 600 hours per year, depending on the threshold adopted by a jurisdiction.
IMRF auditors in 2012 found no problems with Sangamon County board members collecting pensions based on working 1,000 hours per year. Fifteen of the board’s 28 members are signed up for pensions. One year later, the IMRF audited Springfield, and at least four aldermen – Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe, Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin and Ward 8 Ald. Kris Theilen – then signed affidavits stating that their city council jobs require 1,000 hours of work each year. Last year, five aldermen elected in 2014, including Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath, Ward 2 Ald. Herman Senor, Ward 4 Ald. John Fulgenzi, Ward 5 Ald. Andrew Proctor and Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer, signed affidavits.
Nine of the 10 aldermen are signed up for pensions. Ward 9 Ald. Jim Donelan says that he declined an aldermanic pension out of concern it might diminish pension benefits he’s due for work as an aide to former Mayor Tim Davlin and as a current employee of Township Officials of Illinois (“Pension perks,” May 2, 2016), but insists that an alderman works at least 1,000 hours a year.
Springfield aldermen spent 35 hours in council meetings last year. Records on the city’s website show that they spent an additional 15 hours in committee-of-the-whole meetings between November of last year and March 22. Last year, the county board, which convenes monthly, met for seven hours. If a county board member was a member of every board committee and attended every meeting, an unlikely scenario, that board member this month would spend less than 13 hours in committee meetings, according to meeting schedules. Assuming May is a typical month, that works out to 153 hours per year of committee meetings.
The IMRF says that most members of county boards and city councils won’t meet the 1,000-hour threshold “barring highly unusual circumstances.”
In an email, county board chairman Andy Van Meter says that he figures a board member must average 2 ¾ hours of daily work to meet the 1,000-hour annual threshold. Between meetings, preparing for meetings, emails, conversations in grocery stores, phone calls, caucuses, community breakfasts, lunches and dinners, a board member can easily meet that standard, he said.
“I know by popular calculation all politicians aren’t worth their salt but at the county we try to give good value for the taxpayer’s dollar,” Van Meter wrote.
Theilen said that how much time an alderman spends working depends on the alderman.
“I once said that some aldermen make 25 cents an hour, some make $1,000 an hour, and that still holds true,” said Theilen, who adds that he’s on the phone “constantly” when he’s driving and gives up lunch hours and breaks at his state job to perform aldermanic duties.
Springfield aldermen make $15,454 per year. Those who took office prior to 2011 must serve at least eight years to qualify for pensions and contribute 4.5 percent of their salary, with the city contributing slightly more than 16 percent. They can begin collecting benefits at age 60. Those who took office after 2011 must serve for 10 years and wait until they are 67 to collect benefits that are typically between $200 and $300 per month.
At least three local governing bodies in Illinois have withdrawn from pension eligibility in recent years as the IMRF has increased auditing efforts. Governmental bodies that have pulled themselves out of the pension system include the Naperville City Council, the Tazewell County Board and the Winnebago County Board.
Winnebago County ended pension benefits for county board members in 2011, with board members saying it was a matter of good public policy. Naperville city council members removed themselves in 2014 amid an audit by the IMRF. The Tazewell County Board ended pension benefits for board members in 2013. Like Naperville, the county ended the perk when faced with an IMRF audit.
“Most members realized they didn’t work 1,000 hours,” board chairman David Zimmerman told the Peoria Journal Star after the 18-1 vote that ended pension benefits for Tazewell County board members.
Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in May 5-11, 2016.
