Elmhurst Cop Pension Costs Rise Every Year

ELMHURST, IL – Like a lot of towns, Elmhurst is seeing its police pension costs rising every year.

Now, Elmhurst's police pension fund has 87 recipients, which far exceeds the department's 65 officers. In 2019, recipients numbered 79, compared with 64 officers.

This is according to a report this week from the Lauterbach & Amen accounting firm. The document is expected to be presented at Tuesday's meeting of the City Council's finance committee.

Based on the report's data, the average monthly pension payment is now $6,814 a month, up from $6,614 a year earlier. In 2019, it was $5,858.

This has led to increased costs for the city. The accounting firm's recommended annual city contribution is $5.8 million, up from $5.4 million a year earlier, according to the report. In 2019, the contribution was $3.8 million.

The city's recommended contribution is nearly three-fourths of the police department's current payroll.

The city's situation is similar to towns all across the state. Illinois law controls the terms of police pensions.