BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City Council on Monday voted in 8-5 in favor of a controversial bill that entitles themselves and other elected officials to an earlier pension.
It now heads to Mayor Brandon Scott's desk to be signed into law. The Mayor has not indicated if he supports the bill.
Leading up to its passing, many in the community and even some councilmen pushed back against the bill.
Council Bill 22-0292 as it's known, was sponsored by Council President Nick Mosby. It proposed that elected City officials who begin serving as of December 1 this year, would be eligible for a pension after eight-years, as opposed to 12 required by existing law.
The vote was held after Baltimore City voters overwhelmingly approved Question K, imposing eight-year term limits on their elected leaders.
Mosby has defended the bill despite it being highly criticized.
"The only other result would have been we would of kept paying into a pension system that we would of never had access to becauses of Question K," said Mosby.
Other supporters of the bill claim the pension system's current setup could deter people from running for future office.
RELATED: City Council members want to change their pension eligibility as voters decide on Question K
Councilman Zeke Cohen had hoped Mosby would table the bill.
He cited multiple reasons as to why he against the measure.
"Changing the pension system could have serious financial consequences at a time when many Baltimoreans are struggling to pay bills and put food on the table," Cohen wrote in a letter to Mosby. "I believe it sends the wrong message to hard-working unelected government employees, including police officers and firefighters, to alter our pension requirements while ignoring theirs."
I am calling on President Mosby to table his bill to allow elected officials to get a pension after 8 years.
— Zeke Cohen (@Zeke_Cohen) November 21, 2022
We all should be able to retire with dignity. But this bill sends the wrong message. Now more than ever our decisions must prioritize the people we serve over ourselves. pic.twitter.com/h2kXXdEYWp
Upon introduction, some experts raised concern about the bill and its potential financial impact.
David Randall, the executive director of the Baltimore Employees’ and Elected Officials’ Retirement Savings Plan Systems, worried the bill could put the pension system at risk of being underfunded at some point down the road.
The City's Finance Department echoed that thought, contending the bill could end up costing City tax payers more over a period of time.
As Cohen alluded to in his letter, City police officers over the years have seen their pension eligibility requirements rise from 20 to 25-years of service.
Earlier this month the FOP reacted to the bill, calling it "one of the most egregious privileged class moves against labor in the history of Baltimore City."
"We know that trust in government is strained," Cohen continued. "Any perception of self-dealing is toxic."
Ryan Dorsey is another councilman who voted against the bill, but now wants to repeal Question K which voters just approved.
On December 8 I plan to introduce a bill (to create a new ballot question) to repeal term limits.
— Ryan Dorsey (@ElectRyanDorsey) November 22, 2022
We have the 2024, 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections to engage and garner the approval of voters before we should consider any alternative reaction, like pension change, to Question K.
Prior to Monday's vote however, Dorsey tweeted about receiving emails from people who "are so mad" about the pension bill.
People are so mad about the pension bill that I’m getting emails saying it’s not enough that I voted and will again vote against it, but that I’ll be held responsible if I can’t convince a majority of other members to vote against it.
— Ryan Dorsey (@ElectRyanDorsey) November 21, 2022
People for Elected Accountability and Civic Engagement, a group also known as PEACE, gathered earlier in the day to express their opposition to the bill.
The group described the bill as "brazen greed, corruption, and self-serving."
"The bill would cost taxpayers in Baltimore City millions of dollars every year in much needed funds that could instead go toward schools, infrastructure, crime reduction and more," said PEACE.
