Council Candidate Questions: Full-Time Firefighters and Defined Benefits vs. Defined Contribution Retirement for City Employees

Lowell’s First Look met individually with each of the candidates running for City Council who will appear on the ballot on Tuesday, November 5.  There are three seats up for election by voters. The two who receive the highest number of votes will receive a four-year term and the person who receives the third highest number of votes will receive a two-year term.  

Each week leading up to the election we will publish a profile on one candidate as well as an answer to one of six questions surrounding issues.  Each candidate was given the same set of questions. Their responses each week will be published verbatim.  This week we feature two questions.

Do you support adding full-time firefighters to the Lowell Area Fire Department? If so, how should the cost be funded?  

Marty Chambers

Yes. And the cost to be funded by both townships and the city.

Jake Davenport

If the need is there, maybe. My only concerns would be how the city would pay for full time employees. We are already in a difficult situation with finding money for roads

Mike DeVore

I do support it. The men and women doing that job are taxed. Overworked. As the community grows, so does the demand for their services. Once a staffing model is put in place, then we can break down the funding end of it. There are so many different options. We need to see what best serves the city, Lowell Township and Vergennes Township. But a change is necessary.

Danielle Ettinger

More data is required for determination.

Cliff Yankovich

The data suggests that we are going to need to convert to a full time fire department sooner rather than later. As the greater Lowell area grows, so does the demand on our firefighters. The plans presented so far suggest that grant funding will do a great deal to get a full time program jump started. After that it would be great to have the two townships and the City cooperate in funding this important service that will benefit all of us.

Do you support phasing out the defined benefit retirement system for city employees and using a defined contribution system instead?  

Marty Chambers

Yes, because of the cost we have to look at new ways to make sure the city employees are taken care of in the future.

Jake Davenport

I think we are going to have to investigate all potential options and try to find a solution that all parties can be happy with. No matter what sort of direction we go in terms of retirement plans, we need to find a solution that is less expensive and won’t continue to add to our unfunded liabilities.

Mike DeVore

I support getting our unfunded liability under control. I support changing our system to control that.  Whatever shape that takes. But we are continuing to educate ourselves on every option.

Danielle Ettinger

More data is required for determination.

Cliff Yankovich

This is another one of those issues that I am not wildly in favor of, but it seems to be the best way forward.  People are living longer lives than ever before and the obligations of pension benefits are running budgets in Lowell and many other municipalities right into the ground. Municipalities that have 100% of their retirement programs funded are the exception to the rule these days (kind of like the street issue) and re-working retirement benefits seems to be the order of the day.

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