FATTAH: Long Run Budget Picture

a. Employee health costs and pensions have been rising at an unsustainable rate. I will work constructively with the city’s municipal unions to identify creative ways to slow the growth of these costs to the city while continuing to provide high-quality benefits to our city workers.
I have proposed pooling the city’s health care costs and bidding out a single contract to maximize the purchasing power of all city employees together and lower per person costs. I have also suggested moving to a defined contribution pension system from a defined benefit system for new city workers. I believe that working cooperatively with the unions, we can get these rising costs under control.

b. The soaring cost of debt service is hurting our city’s financial standing and I will work to guide the city in such a way so that it does not incur more debt. It would not be responsible to tie the hands of government, but barring unforeseen circumstances I do not anticipate that the city would take on additional debt while I am Mayor.

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