Council Weighs Charter Change for Fire and Police Pension Board

The Pasadena City Council is considering placing a measure on the November 5, 2024 ballot to amend the City Charter regarding the Fire and Police Retirement System (FPRS) Board, which maintains fiduciary oversight and responsibility for approximately $97 million in plan assets and manages the monthly pension payroll for approximately 174 retirees and beneficiaries.

The proposed change would allow the Board to establish, by approved policy, how two trustee seats representing retired fire and police personnel are elected, an agenda report prepared by the FPRS Retirement Board showed.

Under the current provisions of the City Charter, those two seats are required to be elected by retired members, with one representing the Fire Department and one the Police Department. However, finding candidates willing to serve has become increasingly challenging as the retirement system’s members continue to age, with an average age of 81.

“The Retirement Board shall consist of one member of the legislative body selected by the council, two qualified Pasadena electors appointed by the council, and two elected from the active or retired members,” the City Charter states. “One of such two members shall be a member or retiree of the Fire Department and one a member or retiree of the Police Department, and the election of each of such two members shall be confined to the group from which the member must be chosen.”

The vacancy of the Fire Department trustee seat, which had remained unfilled since December 2023 after trustee William “Joe” Milligan stepped down with 18 months remaining on his term, prompted the Retirement Board’s action. “Neither of the solicitations yielded any candidates for the position,” an agenda report stated.

Keith Jones, the Retirement Board’s chair, recommended the City Council direct staff to prepare a ballot resolution, saying the change would “ensure continued fire and police representation” while addressing the anticipated long-term challenge in filling the two positions.

The City Council would need to approve placing the measure on the November 5, 2024 ballot.

Election officials estimate the cost at $80,000 to $100,000 per proposal, plus an additional $5,000 to $10,000 for related public information mailings. The FPRS Retirement Board will consider approving an appropriation to reimburse the City Clerk’s Office for 50% of the actual expenditures for the initiative as part of the fiscal year 2025 Recommended Budget.