Auditor General DeFoor Distributes $317 Million to Support Pension Plans for Police, Firefighters and Non-Uniformed Employees
HARRISBURG (Oct. 14, 2021) – Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor today announced his department has distributed more than $317 million in state aid to support municipal pension plans in communities across Pennsylvania.
“State pension aid helps municipalities to keep their promises to retired employees who spent decades serving their communities, often performing dangerous work,” DeFoor said. “This funding also helps to reduce burdens on local taxpayers.”
A total of 1,492 municipalities and regional departments received $317,069,599 in aid to support pension plans covering police officers, paid firefighters and non-uniformed employees.
The total amount of aid distributed varies year to year because the funding is generated by a 2 percent tax on fire and casualty insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania by out-of-state companies. The department distributed $324.74 million in state pension aid in 2020.
DeFoor again cautioned that municipalities cannot use federal COVID relief funds provided under the American Rescue Plan Act to catch up on missed pension plan payments from past years.
By region, pension aid funding totals for 2021 are as follows:
- Central: $12,222,458.
- Susquehanna Valley: $50,602,228.
- Greater Pittsburgh: $67,007,435.
- Northwest: $13,646,878.
- Northeast: $20,968,382.
- Lehigh Valley: $19,275,794.
- Southeast/Greater Philadelphia: $133,346,424.
To review pension aid allocations by county and learn more about the Department of the Auditor General, visit www.PaAuditor.gov.
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