After months of debate and haggling, the Atlanta City Council was still not ready to vote on the two biggest items on its agenda Monday -- an overhaul of the city's pension system and the budget.
The council's members pushed back both items to give themselves more time to review documents and weigh their options.
Councilwoman Yolanda Adrean, chairwoman of the Finance Committee and the author of the pension proposal now before the council, will hold a special work session Tuesday that will look at both the budget and her proposal.
Adrean's proposal to close the city's $1.5 billion unfunded pension liability combines a traditional pension plan that promises reduced benefits with a 401(k)-style retirement plan that shifts more risk to employees.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, who has endorsed Adrean's plan, has tied the two proposals together. He wants the council to approve the pension overhaul by June 30, the deadline for passing the city's $545 million budget to free up spending and avoid as many as 200 layoffs.
More than half the council's 15 members back Adrean's plan, but it will need at least 10 votes to pass.
During Tuesday's work session, the council will also consider an alternate proposal on the pension that Councilwoman Felicia Moore produced after discussions with union representatives for the city's 7,000-plus workers. Her plan calls for employees to contribute 5 percent more toward their retirement packages, which would save much of their current benefits.
Some council members have suggested merging parts of Moore's plan with Adrean's proposal.
At a special call meeting set for Thursday, the council could vote on the pension overhaul, although a window was left open to move it to the end of the month. That move confused and bemused some council members.
"Political maneuverings afoot to block tabling pension legislation to our [Thursday] special call meeting," Councilman Alex Wan tweeted during the meeting. Wan introduced the motion at a meeting last week to put the legislation on the agenda. "Anxious to see what they're up to."
The council has also announced a special call meeting for June 30 to pass the budget. By law, the budget has to be passed by that date.
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