As the Baltimore County Council begins mulling whether to repeal legislation that could double their pensions if higher salaries are adopted later this year, several council members are making clear that they do not approve of the proposed pay hikes.

Legislation introduced by Councilman Izzy Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat running for county executive, would repeal a 2024 measure that allows certain retired council members to have their pensions recalculated based on future salary increases.

The original bill, sponsored by Councilman Wade Kach, a Republican representing northern Baltimore County, tied the pensions for council members who retire after Jan. 1, 2025, to future salary bumps — a model like what the Maryland General Assembly uses. The council, including Patoka, voted 5-1 to approve the change in June 2024.

Patoka has said the desire to repeal it now comes after three independent events: approval of the original pension bill, county voters approving the charter amendment that expanded the council from seven to nine members and classified their jobs as full-time positions for determining compensation, and recommended salary increases.

Recommendations from the county’s Personnel and Salary Advisory Board propose hiking council members’ salaries from $69,000 to $140,000 and increasing pay for the council chair from $77,000 to $150,000. The council is allowed to reject or lower the recommendation but cannot increase it.

The salary board’s recommendations have not yet been approved.

What would the repeal do?

If the previous pension bill was repealed, the way council members’ pensions are calculated would no longer be tied to future salary increases.

The previous law in place states that pensions would be equal to one-twentieth, or 5%, of the member’s average final compensation multiplied by the number of years they served. No member would be able to receive a pension greater than 60% of their average final compensation after serving on the council for 12 years, and no one could get a pension higher than 70% of their average final salary after 16 or more years on the council.

Kach and Councilman Todd Crandell, a Dundalk Republican, are both retiring this year after spending 12 years on the council. Under the previous system, both would have received $41,400 per year. But if the current council adopts a recommended salary of $140,000 for members, coupled with the laws in place now, pension allowances for both would be $84,000.

Crandell said Tuesday that he never spoke with anyone about council salaries rising that much, adding that the discussions were based on a salary that was commensurate with other large jurisdictions in Maryland and appropriately compensates them.

“I wanted to make that clear point that I don’t think any of us ever expected a recommendation that high, a salary recommendation that high, and certainly never, never discussed one that high,” he said.

What does the General Assembly do?

State legislators receive 3% of the current legislative salary for each year and month of creditable service, according to the Maryland State Retirement Agency’s benefits handbook, which covers the term from 2023 to 2026.

Creditable service is earned for each month a person serves in the General Assembly and contributes to the legislative pension plan. Legislators are required to contribute 7% of their salary each year, up to a maximum of 22 years and three months.

The maximum benefit they can receive is about 66% of the current legislative salary, which is $56,636 for 2026.

A state legislator who retires in 2026 at 62 years old following 24 years of service in the General Assembly, for instance, would get a pension of $37,259 annually, or just over $3,100 per month, according to calculations in the handbook.

Legislators who leave the General Assembly before turning 60 or 62 can take a reduced pension allowance — but they can only qualify if they have eight years of creditable service and meet one of two combinations of age and service.

Nick Stewart, a Democratic candidate for county executive who has called for the council to repeal the 2024 legislation, said Tuesday that he doesn’t see anything wrong with full-time salaries, but took issue with the pension calculation being based on salaries council members never earned.

“I think people are really upset because changes to compensation should only benefit new councils, not anyone on this council to avoid any appearance of self dealing, and that didn’t happen here,” he said. “We’re upset about that, we’re upset about being told that this is some sort of Lemony Snicket series of unfortunate events. That’s not true.”

The council will discuss the bill again at its March 10 work session.

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