Midwest Voices

Kansas City Star Editorial

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Kansas City’s taxpayers aren’t finished handing over public paychecks to elected officials once they leave City Hall. Far from it.

That’s because a number of former mayors, City Council members and Municipal Court judges continue to receive paychecks as part of the city’s “retirement system for elected officials.” It’s earmarked for a select group of people and it’s slightly more generous than plans offered to other city employees.

This year taxpayers are shelling out $688,000 in pensions to 26 former elected officials and judges, according to information provided to The Star under a Sunshine Law request.

• The six highest payments all go to retired judges, topped by Charles DeFeo Jr., who receives $86,753 a year, and James Karl, who gets $83,972.

• Richard Berkley gets the most of four ex-mayors, with $31,973, followed by Kay Barnes, who receives $22,530.

• Robert Hernandez, with $19,236, collects the highest payment of the 16 recipients paid for their time on the council, followed by Alvin Brooks, who gets $13,556.

• At least two on the list receive paychecks from other governments. Former Mayor Emanuel Cleaver, who gets $21,106 from the city, is also on the federal payroll as a U.S. congressman. Former council member Ed Quick, whose city retirement pay is $7,721, is Clay County’s presiding commissioner, although he recently lost his re-election bid.

• Three former elected officials are running for office again. Ex-council members Chuck Eddy, who gets $10,650 a year, and Jim Glover, who receives $11,960, are contending for council seats in 2011. Former Mayor Charles Wheeler, who is paid $10,662, is seeking his old job. If they win and serve full terms, they would be eligible for additional pension payments.

True, the total payouts to former elected officials make up a small part of the city’s multibillion-dollar pension obligations to hundreds of former and current employees. Some other state and local governments also have retirement deals for politicians and judges.

But change starts at the top. As the council takes a hard look at how to trim growing costs of the city’s multiple pension plans, the elected officials need to ratchet back their own.

When it comes to pension reform at City Hall, The Star supports more defined contribution plans similar to 401(k)s, increased employee contributions to retirement accounts and raising the normal age for when benefits can begin.

The retirement issue has gained attention for two main reasons.

• Kansas City’s separate pension plans for firefighters, for police and for other employees are under-funded, partly because of the stock market’s woes. But the cash-strapped city also has failed to adequately finance these plans in recent years.

• Fire union officials are aggressively pushing $30 million in retroactive pensions for former ambulance workers now employed by the Fire Department. So far, that costly and unwarranted plan has been rejected.

Fire union president Louie Wright is among those promoting pensions for ex-MAST workers. He recently publicly scolded council members while noting that they had the richest retirement system of all city workers.

He didn’t go into details, but The Star found out he’s right.

City pensions are based on a percentage of average compensation, and pay for politicians and judges has swelled in the last decade.

The next mayor is scheduled to receive $128,082 a year and each council member $64,032, according to the city’s website.

The salaries of Municipal Court judges — and their subsequent pension payments — are far higher than those for politicians. Defying common sense, the judges who often handle traffic tickets and other routine matters are among the highest paid in the state at $144,875 a year.

Among the details of the elected officials’ retirement plan, it requires that a mayor or council member serve one full term — which is now four years — to be eligible for a pension.

In addition, their payments are based on a current multiplier of 2.22 percent for every year of employment. That multiplier is only 2.0 percent for other city employees.

Most notably, the pension for a retired politician or judge now contains this sweetener: It is based on the average compensation for the same office in the two years before a pension starts.

For instance, if a council member left office when the job paid $64,000 a year but waited to take a pension until the job was paying, say, $75,000 a year, the retirement pay would be based on the higher salary.

But that’s not true for other city employees. Their pensions are based on the latest average compensation figures they received before leaving City Hall.

So as the pay for elected officials and judges goes higher, they will benefit from that rise in pay when they start collecting pensions.

The next mayor and council should be resolute in improving all of the city’s pension systems, including their own. Some cuts are needed in future benefits, while increases are required in current contributions.

The politicians must protect taxpayers while still providing reasonable retirement programs.

Here are the annual pensions for the other former Municipal Court judges:

• $76,093 for Marcia Walsh.
• $66,224 for Victor Rocha.
• $59,398 for Thomas Sims.
• $52,623 for James A. Reed.

The pensions for the other former City Council members:

• $13,525 for Joanne Collins.
• $12,545 for Mary Williams-Neal.
• $12,463 for Bonnie Sue Cooper.
• $11,888 for Evert Asjes III.
• $11,164 for Katheryn Shields.
• $10,986 for Sally Johnson.
• $10,808 for Jerry Riffel.
• $9,315 for Sal Capra.
• $9,155 for George Blackwood.
• $7,163 for Chuck Weber.
• $4,397 for Sarah Snow.

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