Politics & Government
Fresh From Retreat, Harrison Says County Council Will Focus On Teacher Pensions
Prince George's County Council Chairwoman Andrea Harrison says pensions could cost county $20 million.
After wrapping up a two-day retreat to Baltimore with the Prince George's County Council on Tuesday, Chairwoman Andrea Harrison said the council's number one priority this year is contesting a possible move by the state legislature to shift pension costs to counties.
Harrison said the cost of the pensions to the county budget could be $20 million.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said that shifting the cost of the pensions from the state budget to county budgets has been considered for the fiscal 2013 budget and legislative agenda, according to a Gazette article.
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"We are working with the county executive to fight teacher pensions," said Harrison, "If we end up having to fund those teacher pensions we are going to have significant problems meeting the needs of our constituents."
The current unfunded liability of the state-run pension system is $19.7 billion and teacher pensions make up $11.1 billion of that figure, according to Michael Golden, the director of external affairs for the state retirement system.
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Currently the system is 64.7 percent funded, said Golden.
Del. Melony G. Griffith, (D-Prince George's) the House Chairperson of the General Assembly's Special Joint Committee on Pensions said state and local governments must reach some compromise on how to fund local pensions, according to the Gazette article. Although at the same time, she realized the political implications such a move would create, with feuds developing between the state and local governments.
She said there might not be an "appetite for that among legislators this year."
Harrison said that the other top issues coming out of the retreat were continuing to develop the plan for the University of Maryland teaching hospital partnership and fostering economic development in the county.
, which took place Monday and Tuesday at Baltimore's Admiral Fell Inn allowed the council to reflect on the year before and focus on what is coming up in the new year, said Harrison.
The retreat was held outside of Prince George's County for the second straight year. Harrison said the reasoning for that was to be "free from home distractions."