Well, anybody who saw my last post and then saw my letter in the News and Review can see that I had to edit dramatically to get my letter in. When I sent my original letter to the address I’ve used for years, it was sent back, rejected for size? And I was told to use the form letter mechanism on the N&R website, which only allows 150 words. Snip, snip, snip – I still got my point across, and it was a good exercise.
Write those letters folks! When do I find the time? When I’m so pissed off I can’t sleep. Writing letters to the editor will save your teeth, believe me!
I sent the following letter to the Enterprise Record two days ago, watch for it, and write your letters too. Just yesterday Dan Walters ran a column about the spending of taxpayer money to pass revenue measures that will only end up being squandered on the pension deficit –
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article228799774.html
so people are thinking about this subject. Write now!
And don’t just write to the papers, forward to the city manager mark.orme@chicoca.gov and CARD general manager Ann Willmann annw@chicorec.com
Chico Area Recreation District board and staff have spent over $100,000 on consultants to help them pass a revenue measure but have yet to show the taxpayers that they can be trusted with money.
In 2014, CARD staff reported a pension deficit of $1,700,721 . Only five years later, that deficit has ballooned to $2,800,000, despite nearly $1,000,000 in “side fund payoffs”.
CARD staff announced they have “set aside” another $1,700,000 for payment toward the deficit, having admitted they have deferred maintenance to various facilities for years, including Shapiro Pool, which was closed permanently last year.
CARD only started asking employees to pay toward their own pensions in 2013, but management staffers pay 6% or less, with the general manager paying only 2 percent of an $108,500 salary.
CARD staff describe the pension/unfunded liability as “What we owe to CalPERS because of the difference in their guesses.”
Wrong. The pension deficit is the difference between what employees expect to get (70 percent of their highest year’s salary at age 55) and what they want to pay for it (less than 10 percent of their salary). For example, the general manager pays $2170/year toward a pension of more than $75,000. That is not sustainable.
CARD staff have used taxpayer revenues to enrich themselves while ignoring their mission. Now they tell us we need to pass a revenue measure, or they will further defer maintenance, close facilities, and cut programs. At the same time offering a grandiose new sports facility south of town? Let the board of directors know how you feel about that, at annw@chicorec.com