Wichita Business Journal | Taxpayer group balks at pension payouts; officials say estimates are overblown

Findings from TUA’s pension project on Saline, Kansas, are featured in this article from Wichita Business Journal.

Advocacy group Taxpayers United of America has been touring Kansas this week criticizing what it says are excessive city, county and school district pension programs funded by property tax increases.

The Salina Journal reports that according to the organization, some Salina employees are eligible for payouts of between $1 million and $2.8 million after they retire. However, Salina City Manager Jason Gage says the estimates are misleading because they don’t take into account factors like variation in employee pay from year to year, the average tenure of employees and the average life expectancy.

Taxpayers United of America, which is expected to visit Wichita on Thursday, hand delivered a letter to Gov. Sam Brownback earlier this week encouraging pension reform.