Magsig on retirement


question: 
Fresno County has one of the most generous retirement systems in the state. How would you control the costs?
answer: 

The current system was negotiated in good faith by previous supervisors so we really couldn’t change it, even if we wanted to. Going forward, however, we should create a new retirement system for new hires that combines both a defined contribution and a less generous defined benefit. It will take years for the county to grow out of this problem but it can be managed.