Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, surrounded by police and firefighter union leaders, announces an agreement concerning the police and firefighters pension plan today at the Fraternal Order of Police headquarters on Holtzclaw Ave. in this file photo.Fire and Police Pension Board:Fire Battalion Chief Chris WillmoreCity’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer Brent GoldbergPolice Lt. Jerome HalbertMaster Police Officer Phillip McClainSenior Firefighter Mark CoffmanPolice Sgt. Craig JoelFire Lt. Shawn O’KelleyBusinessman Les Lee
Going into negotiations with Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke’s pension reform task force, Fire and Police Pension Board members fought against changes they said would force police and firefighters out the door.
But in the end, economic realities convinced the pension board to accept a compromise that costs employees more out of pocket and delivers retirees a bit less as a way to ensure the fund’s future.
“I went into this thing fighting. But passion gave way to fact at the end of the day,” said board member Craig Joel, a Chattanooga police sergeant.
The eight board members — firefighters, officers and financial experts — voted unanimously Thursday to approve reforms that will hike employee contributions by nearly 40 percent and cut retirees’ cost-of-living adjustments while saving the city $227 million over the next 26 years. The final stop is at the City Council, which will vote three times on the reform starting Tuesday.