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 Despite serving some of the most overtaxed residents in
Illinois, Des Plaines Park District’s active pensioners have collected over $7.6
million in pension benefits over the last two decades – with two retirees having
each collected more than $1 million.
Records from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, or IMRF, show 38 active
pensioners from the park district enrolled in the fund since 1996. Among them,
two former employees – David Markworth and Steve Smuk – have each received more
than $1 million over the course of their retirements. Markworth retired in 2003
at age 59, and has since received more than $1.8 million in total pension
benefits, with an annual payout of $144,500. Smuk, who retired in 1996 at age
58, has accumulated nearly $1.1 million since retiring, with an annual payout
just under $60,000.
These workers, however, are not to blame for these extreme pension benefits.
State lawmakers set the rules for IMRF pension plans. And they’ve allowed the
costs of those benefits to grow well beyond what taxpayers can afford.
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Taxpayers contribute far more to IMRF retirements
than employees themselves, and benefits are growing at a rate far
too fast for taxpayers to keep up with. IMRF accrued pension
benefits have been growing at the pace of 7.2 percent per year since
2000, placing an ever-increasing burden on taxpayers. For example,
property taxes in Cook County, where Des Plaines is located, have
increased nearly $750 per person since 1996. And those increases
have been out of proportion with home values: Cook County property
taxes outgrew home values by 76 percent during that timeframe.
Out-of-control pension costs have placed an
unsustainable burden on taxpayers. State and local lawmakers must
introduce reforms that bring pension benefits in line with what
taxpayers can afford. In the short term, lawmakers should implement
401(k)-style retirement plans for new workers. This system would
provide fairness and security to taxpayers and government retirees
alike. In the long term, lawmakers must amend the Illinois
Constitution to allow for changes to future, unearned pension
benefits for current government workers.
Otherwise, the pain caused by property tax hikes and outsized
pension costs will only worsen for taxpayers in Des Plaines and
elsewhere.
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