COLUMBUS, Ohio — Right now, local governments contribute just under 20% of police officers salaries to their pension funds.
But if House Bill 296 becomes law, that number would jump to 24% by the year 2030. It’s a move that the Ohio Mayor’s alliance said would vastly affect their budget, but one that police and fire unions say is long overdue.
“What is your safety worth? How much is it worth?” said Brian Steel.
Brian Steel is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police. As a police officer and taxpayer himself, he believes the bill that would force cities to contribute millions more dollars into the pension funds for police and firefighters will be beneficial for communities across the state.
Especially because the percent that they contribute hasn’t changed since 1986.
“As a taxpayer, I’m willing to invest my money. I’m willing to invest my neighbor’s money into knowing we’re going to have safe communities where we have a solvent pension system so we can continue to recruit and train individuals with the best possible character to be policemen and firemen in this state,” said Steel.
But the bi-partisan Ohio Mayor’s Alliance disagrees. They came together at the statehouse to discuss the potential effects the bill could have. Many mayors said it would force them to raise taxes significantly, and will force them to cut back on the number of police and firefighters that they can hire.
“I can’t imagine a more anti-police anti fire bill that this legislature has ever considered, certainly not in this session, maybe not in the last ten years, maybe ever,” said Mayor of Toledo, Wade Kapszukiewicz.
According to the Ohio Mayors Alliance and Ohio Municipal League, local governments across the state currently contribute three hundred million dollars to the pension fund and house bill 296 would increase that amount by an additional eighty million dollars. The mayors expressed the legislature doesn’t need to rush into deciding.
“We are looking at it in a holistic manner so that it is sustainable into the long term. It’s a complex issue that cannot just be solved in a rush manner. And so we’re hoping the legislature will work with us to make sure that it is addressed comprehensively, so that this is not an issue that we keep have coming up,” said Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn.
The Ohio Mayors Alliance says it’s not completely against contributing more to officers’ pensions but they do want to make sure that funding is fair. It’s still unclear whether the House will vote on the bill when it convenes on Wednesday.