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Lake County Gazette

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Analysis: Zion Firefighters Pension Fund would go bankrupt in 23 years without taxpayer subsidy

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Without members and taxpayers subsidizing its revenue, the Zion Firefighters Pension Fund would have lost $735,661 in 2018, according to a Lake County Gazette analysis of the latest data reported to the Illinois Department of Insurance Pension Division.

The fund has $16,820,639 in total assets. If the fund’s annual losses stay the same, it would run out of money in 23 years without these subsidies.

The fund earned $933,004 in investment income and other revenue in 2018. At the same time, it paid out $1,668,665 in expenses, according to the 2019 biennial report detailing the health of each of the state’s pension funds and retirement systems. The difference between the two shows the fund’s annual loss without subsidies.

Taxpayers added $996,072 to the fund’s revenue last year – an amount that has increased from $682,170 five years ago. Members contributed an additional $236,304 – $13,575 more than five years ago.

In all, subsidies amounted to $1,232,376 in 2018.

Zion Firefighters Pension Fund non-subsidy revenue over five years
YearTotal non-subsidy revenueTotal expensesOutcome without subsidies
2018$933,004$1,668,665-$735,661
2017$1,679,651$1,552,662$126,989
2016-$269,525$1,358,217-$1,627,742
2015$949,599$1,272,480-$322,881
2014$937,612$1,195,346-$257,734

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