HOUSTON – The city of Houston plans to ask state lawmakers to help reign in firefighters' pensions.
"I have the utmost respect for firefighters and they have an extremely difficult job,” said City Attorney David Feldman. “But this has gotten out of whack."
Feldman said some retired firefighters are collecting up to 170 percent of their former base salaries. He said the current structure allows that, since some of the pensions are based on firefighters’ top gross pay, including overtime.
“The problem is that the city itself has no say in the process,” Feldman said. “There's no meet and confer."
He said the board of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund, unlike similar boards for police officers and other employees, doesn’t have to negotiate with the city.
So the city plans to ask the state legislature to change that.
If lawmakers don't change it, Mayor Annise Parker said that by 2015, pensions will suck up 45 percent of the fire department's payroll.
"It is insupportable,” Parker said.
The head of the pension board said he preferred not to talk specifics Wednesday until he spoke with the rest of the ten-member board, which is made up of five current firefighters, two citizens, the city treasurer, a retired firefighter and a mayor’s representative.
"The board believes the pension fund is in good funding status,” said the board’s executive director, Christopher Gonzales. “The board meets regularly to discuss these issues, and we will withhold further comment until we meet next week."
When 11 News pressed Gonzales about the city’s assertion that some firefighters were retiring with such large payouts, he said that “(the board has) not seen data to support that analysis.”
The firefighters’ union president, Jeff Caynon, said he disputed the city’s numbers, but referred all questions to the pension board.
This all comes as the firefighters’ union prepares to begin contract talks with the city later this month.
