Lake Forest Fire Department news

Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

The Lake Forest City Council is facing mounting financial pressures, particularly with rising costs in its fire department, especially related to pensions. A presentation at the October 3 city council meeting revealed that the fire pension levy was $466,229 in 2005, but it has now jumped to $1.2 million and is projected to reach $2.6 million by 2027. When combined with police pension expenses, total public safety costs are expected to hit $6.7 million by that year.

Firefighters contribute 9.45% of their salary to the pension fund, while police officers pay 9.91%. Each department manages its own pension fund through a five-member board and works with professional investment advisors. According to Elizabeth Holleb, the city’s finance director, the two pension funds hold around $60 million in total.

“In late 2015 and early 2016, the market wasn’t doing well,” Holleb explained. “We closed our books on April 15 and had very low returns. We assume a 7% annual return.” However, the actual returns were far below that—firefighter pension investments returned just 0.28%, while police pension investments lost 1.64%. The city is responsible for covering this shortfall.

The 2017 fire department budget stands at $6.25 million, with 98% of that going toward personnel costs. The department employs 35 full-time staff. Holleb noted that the city has always met or exceeded state-mandated pension contributions.

Over the years, the city has managed staffing levels through attrition. But as Holleb pointed out, “The problem is that we’re so lean now—it’s hard to make those kinds of reductions.”

City Manager Robert Kiely warned during the meeting that the cost of fire services is increasing faster than the city can generate additional revenue. “The math doesn’t work long-term,” he said.

Alderman Stanford Tack read a prepared statement from the committee, which concluded that there were no clear ways to boost revenue or improve efficiency within the fire department. “Unaltered, the growth of public safety pension obligations alone will require massive tax increases and severe cuts in other services just to keep up,” the letter stated.

In response, the city council has asked staff to explore a $10 quarterly fee, or $40 annually, for residents. This would provide one to two years to study and implement potential solutions. The city is also considering sharing fire services with neighboring communities, though the details remain unclear.

Mayor Don Schoenheider emphasized that “we will not compromise public safety.”

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