City Council: Pension talk postponed in honor of slain officer

In honor of slain Fort Worth police officer Garrett Hull, who was shot in the line of duty early Friday, the city council has postponed discussion of fixing the troubled employee pension fund, Mayor Betsy Price said.

Price, in a letter to city officials Friday, called Hull a hero, and said she was writing with a heavy heart. Later, Hull passed away at John Peter Smith Hospital.

Hull was shot in the head while he and other officers were disrupting a robbery at a bar.

“As you also know, at Tuesday’s city council meeting, the city council was scheduled to vote on the FY2019 budget and consider a proposed solution regarding the sustainability of the pension fund. However, our attention is now rightly focused on officer Hull and his family,” Price wrote. “For that reason, we are postponing further pension discussions and will reschedule the vote at the appropriate time. We will proceed with a vote on the FY2019 budget.”

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Price closed the letter by saying, “His bravery is an example to us all.”

The city’s pension fund is heading toward insolvency with a liability of about $1.6 billion. At an earlier meeting City Manager David Cooke outlined a recommended plan to get the retirement fund back on track. If no solution can be reached, the problem could be put before the state legislature.

“You’ve got the have loyalty and keep your promises when you hire somebody,” District 6 Councilman Jungus Jordan said.

He agreed that this is not the time to continue discussions.

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“Fort Worth is one huge family, and the loss of officer Hull is a huge vacuum in our lives,” he said.