Many county and town budget planners have sometimes tenuous faith that recent changes have finally fixed the state retirement system for police and firefighters – the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) — despite continued flareups of bad publicity.
The appointment of administrator Michael Townsend has restored the confidence of many town and county administrators, confidence shaken by a multi-billion-dollar shortfall in the retirement system for courts, elected officials, police officers and firefighters. “I think the entire state views it as a positive,” said Apache County Manager Ryan Patterson. “Townsend understands the pension system. He’s highly intelligent. He’s led Coconino County through their problems with their pension – he’s got the experience to be excellent.