AURORA | There will be no further debate on whether Aurora City Council members should receive a pension after at least six years of serving the city.
A proposal carried by council member Charlie Richardson got no support at a city council study session on Monday. Richardson said he wouldn’t push it to a formal vote.
The proposal came after Richardson said he started researching pension plans earlier this year when the Aurora Police Association sought to switch to a statewide defined benefit plan.
Richardson said in his research he found that pension plans should cover five criteria: longevity, loyalty, offer a competitive advantage, provide tax benefits and offer support for elderly that can no longer work to support themselves.
“It dawned on me that none of those rational seem to be applicable to our pension system for a part time city council, so I proposed the elimination,” he said during the study session.
The council members voted eight to one not to move the measure forward. Council member Allison Hiltz was absent from the meeting.
The measure would have excluded the elimination for current or former members of council already vested. According to city documents, nearly $75,000 is used to fund the pensions each year.
Council members are eligible for the pension if they serve at least six years.