The biggest barrier to solving Dallas’ multibillion-dollar pension crisis isn’t just the money, it’s also the troubled relationship City Hall has long had with its own police and firefighters.
The two sides have never been so far apart at a time when it’s never been more critical they come together. Any deal to fix the public safety workers' deeply troubled pension system must go to the state Legislature for approval, and lawmakers have consistently insisted on one thing: cooperation.
City officials, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System and uniformed employees, past and present, all have much at stake: billions of dollars, the ability to recruit and retain public safety workers and, for police and firefighters, a secure retirement. But many public safety workers are reluctant to deal with a city they feel has never dealt in good faith with them. Now, the city is looking to strip the one good deal they thought they were getting — their pension — even as City Hall also looks to quash major lawsuits over back pay that might have been settled years ago for less money.