This is an NLC staff post by Anita Yadavalli. On March 11-14, city leaders from across the nation gathered at the Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C., to speak up for city priorities and rebuild America’s infrastructure. I was quite busy during that time, flocking from meeting to meeting, greeting seasoned city leaders and welcoming
This is a co-authored post by Anita Yadavalli, program director for city fiscal policy in NLC’s Center for City Solutions, and Jean-Pierre Aubry, associate director of state and local research at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. It is the third piece in a three-part series about pensions and healthcare. Each piece includes insights gained
The state of retirement funding has become an obvious fiscal concern for city governments, especially since the Great Recession. In fact, a recent National League of Cities survey revealed the cost of employee/retiree pensions ranks third (following infrastructure needs and public safety needs) among the most negative factors impacting city budgets. Perhaps more telling is
This is a guest post by Steve Vermette, vice president of brokerage at Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company. Budget cutbacks, an aging workforce nearing retirement and the need for a deeper pool of talent are creating a perfect storm for governments looking to recruit skilled workers — and keep them long term. Public sector employers are
By Neil Bomberg A General Accountability Office (GAO) study of state and local government pension plans released on Friday, March 2, confirmed what the National League of Cities (NLC) and many other national groups representing employers and state and local pension plans have been saying for years: Public pensions are not facing a short-term crisis.
