IMRF issue should be given to voters
I am probably the person Hainesville Mayor Ted Mueller referred to when he wrote, "It (the retirement referendum) was placed on the ballot by a resident who, it appears, feels that she is better qualified to run the village than the elected officials and seems to object to just about any issue that the board favors," in a letter to the editor (Jan. 20).
I don't object to every issue the board (mayor) favors, but I do ask questions. I have, in other cities, successfully run other entities with budgets larger than Hainesville's. Although I don't claim to be an expert in all things, I do have experience in managing personnel and financial assets.ltr
With regard to an employee retirement plan, it was never about their work ethic or whether they deserved a plan. The concern was whether, because of our small population, other financial obligations and pending lawsuits, the IMRF was the best financial choice for the village.
Joining the IMRF permanently commits the village, and ultimately the taxpayers, to fund employee pensions with no opportunity to ever withdraw from the pension plan regardless of the financial health of the village.
The reason so many other villages use IMRF is that state law requires that municipalities over 5,000 in population join. Also, when some villages joined years ago, there were no other options. Our population is less than 3,500 and now there are other retirement plan options.
Creating this referendum was not meant as criticism, obstructionism or a personal attack. Rather, it was meant as an opportunity to give taxpayers an opportunity to voice their opinion, and encourage the board to consider other options.
I am genuinely interested in the welfare of this village and its residents. I am chairman of the Great Age Club (Hainesville Seniors), originator and organizer of the annual village-wide garage sale. I recently saved the village $20,000 to $30,000, according to industry sources, by spending months creating a five-year restoration plan for Cranberry Lake and the bid proposal to get the work done.
I was not elected, I don't get paid, but I care!
Georgeann Duberstein
Hainesville