Beutler Urges City Council to Support Tax-Saving Retirement Plan

“The election for Mayor has thus far been about leadership, especially leadership on the city budget. I urge the City Council to demonstrate leadership and enact the retirement proposal that could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in savings to the taxpayers. I hope they will join me in supporting this fiscally responsible plan,” said Lincoln Mayoral candidate Chris Beutler.

“On Monday, the City Council will consider Annette McRoy’s and Dan Marvin’s plan to offer retirement incentives to eligible city employees. Their proposal could save hundreds of thousands per year and provides financial incentives to help city employees afford health insurance after they retire. Unfortunately, Council members Ken Svoboda and Jon Camp tried to block these taxpayer savings by voting against a resolution instructing city staff to develop this retirement plan last October.

Beutler sees the proposal as an opportunity to save tax dollars and re-organize city government, “I will leave these positions open and evaluate how many are critical to city services. I have a strong record of re-organizing government to save money while improving services. As Mayor, I will put my experience to work for Lincoln citizens and businesses to save money, hold down taxes and hire younger, less expensive workers to fill jobs that cannot be re-organized.

“Currently, there is a freeze on city hiring, impacting another 34 positions. If those jobs are also considered in a city re-organization plan, we could save millions per year from the city budget. This is the leadership Lincoln demands to resolve the current budget crisis and balance future budgets while improving city services.

“Throughout this campaign, I have proposed and I will continue to propose permanent budget solutions that move Lincoln forward. We don’t need budget Band-Aids, we need real solutions. That’s leadership. And that’s kind of Mayor I will be.

“Annette McRoy and Dan Marvin deserve both our support and our gratitude for their Council leadership. I support their plan and request that Mr. Svoboda and Mr. Camp do the same,” Beutler concluded.