Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/85591
S pension system More than 60 people attended the Sheridan event. Sheridan firefighter George Neeson said that benefit helped him to decide to stick with the Sheridan fire department rather than seeking higher-paying work in the oil patch. His job with the city promises a reliable monthly benefit on which he and his family can plan for their retirement years. Wyoming Retirement System Director Thom Williams outlined the basic aspects of the system and pointed out the many "levers" system managers can use to ensure its long-term sustainability. Those levers include changes imposed by the Legislature that will reduce benefits to employees hired after Sept.1, 2012. He noted the system managers can call for increased contributions from employees, as well. The Equality State Policy Center and the for a Healthy Retirement Coalition By Dan Neal Equality State Policy Center System believe there are many reasons for supporting the defined benefit system used in Wyoming: •It promises stability with a reliable monthly income that the teachers who educated our children and the police and fire fighters who protected us can use to plan their family budgets. •Professional oversee investments – and those investments by far pay the benefits the system provides. •Good pensions managers recruit and retain highly qualified employees. A stable workforce enables schools, law enforcement, and other state agencies to deliver good service to the public. help the Wyoming Education Association, the Wyoming Retired Education Personnel Association, the Wyoming Public Employees Association, the Federated Fire Fighters of Wyoming, AARP Wyoming, the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, the Wyoming Highway Patrol Association, the Wyoming State AFL-CIO, and the Equality State Policy Center. If you have questions about the town hall meetings or the public pension system, please contact Ken Decaria at 307-634-7991, ext. 106 or kdecaria@nea.org. •Pension payments are an economic asset that keeps income flowing into the local economies where pensioners live. In 2011, the system paid nearly $300 million to Wyoming residents, benefits that rippled through their local communities. The Coalition for a Healthy Retirement System includes Upcoming JOINT APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE MEETINGS November 8-9 - Cheyenne December 10-14 - Cheyenne BACK TO SCHOOL 2012 | wyoea.org 19