Western Springs Cop Pension Costs Go Up

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs property taxpayers will likely put in $312,000 more next year into the local police pension account, an official said Monday.

At a Village Board meeting, the village's finance director, John Mastandona, spoke about the property tax levy, which the board is set to approve in December. The pension fund is one of the levy's big drivers.

As of 2022, the village's police pension fund was funded 51 percent long-term, down from 60 percent two years earlier, according to the state comptroller's website.

Like most towns, the village's annual contribution to the pension count has spiked over the last decade.

In 2022, the village put $1.7 million into the pension fund, more than double the $706,000 a decade earlier, according to state Department of Insurance reports.

Western Springs is far from alone. Last year, Darien's contribution to its police pension account jumped by $200,000, to $2.6 million. The contribution was $1.4 million in 2017, according to the department's reports.