On the surface, the article “Council pushing pension reform,” Simi Valley Acorn , Feb. 5, and the accompanying graph certainly draw alarming attention to the city’s pension contributions.

However, I would like to see some additional information and data as follows:

Since the graph depicts the “blended” contributions of the three employee groups, what would a graph look like for the individual contribution costs for each group?

As the city is currently paying the employee’s and employer’s contribution, was that the case beginning with fiscal year 19992000? If not, the current graph skews the data.

Was the 3 percent at 55 formula for officers in effect beginning with FY 1999-2000? If not, the current graph again skews the data.

As contributions are a function of salary costs, substantial payroll increases were realized during fiscal years 2003 through 2006. I would like to see the annual salary costs depicted for each group during those periods as well as the number of associated paid positions for each group.

City Manager Mike Sedell said in the article that over the last 10 years the amount the city has had to pay into CALPERS has grown 28 percent while the city’s revenues have increased about 4 percent.

That spread is alarming as well, but 4 percent on $100 million or so of total revenues would lessen the remaining “out-of-pocket costs” for the contribution increases and soften that 28 percent statement.

As an old adage says, “The devil is in the details.”
Wayne Boyer
Simi Valley