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Rockford – Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the updated study on Rockford, Illinois government employee pensions, publishing the top 200 pensions for Rockford Illinois Municipal Retirement (IMRF) fund and the top 200 pensions of the Teachers’ Retirement Fund (TRS).
“Rockford taxpayers, like the rest of Illinois, can’t afford to pay for outrageous pension promises made decades ago by greedy political hacks. These pensions are nothing more than a contract for union votes and have nothing to do with providing services to taxpayers,” stated Jim Tobin TUA’s president and former economist.
“Everyone knows that property taxes, used to fund the IMRF pensions of the Rockford municipal and county employees, have been rising out of control. Illinois is second in the nation for homes under water on their mortgage with more than 15% of homes worth less than the amount owed. Add to that the crippling property tax bills and Rockford is in the top 20 U.S. cities for foreclosures.”
- Click here to see the top 200 Rockford TRS pensions
- Click here to see the top 200 Rockford IMRF Pensions
- Click here to see the top 200 Rock Valley College SURS pensions
“The teachers’ pensions are some of the most outrageously lavish in the state and gubernatorial candidate J. B. Pritzker is on his way to bail them out at the expense of Illinois taxpayers. If Pritzker is elected governor, he will quickly slam taxpayers with a huge increase in the flat-rate state income tax. Then, he will support the Income Tax Increase Amendment, which would create a graduated income tax increase for middle class taxpayers.
“Illinois is first in the country in outmigration; more taxpayers are moving out of the state than into the state. That means that those of us who stay will have to pay even more in taxes to bail out the lavish, unnecessary government pension that have bankrupted Illinois,” added Tobin.
“Just look at the pensions we are paying for, and in an area that has barely climbed out of the financial slump that most of the rest of the country has nearly forgotten. If Pritzker wins the gubernatorial election, there will be no stopping the Democrats from stealing every last dime from taxpayers.”
“Alan S. Brown, who retired from Rockford government schools, rakes in $177,989 in annual pension payments. This poor, overworked, ‘civil servant’ retired at the ripe old age of 55! Assuming he lives until 85, he will collect $5,320,870. His contribution to that multi-million dollar payout was only 3.3%.”
“Winnebago County retiree Paul A. Vogli also does pretty well with an annual pension of $164,652. He will collect about $4,254,294 in lifetime payments.”
“Nearly all IMRF employees are also eligible for Social Security pensions in addition to their IMRF pensions,” added Tobin
“It is just unreasonable to allow people to retire in their 50’s and early 60’s and expect taxpayers to foot the bill, and if Madigan gets his way and Pritzker wins the governor’s race, government pension reform won’t occur anytime soon,” concluded Tobin.
No one is reporting that Rockford school district 205 also paid the highest in the state pension spike penalties at $1.1 mil since 2014-prior to that approx $1.885 mil according to the Chicago Tribune. I contacted the local news media and nothing was ever mentioned. Where did this penalty money come from? The taxpayers of course! Our properties are only ATM machines for all the taxing bodies.