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Will County Gazette

Friday, October 3, 2025

Analysis: University Park Firefighters Pension Fund would go bankrupt in 70 years without taxpayer subsidy

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Without members and taxpayers subsidizing its revenue, the University Park Firefighters Pension Fund would have lost $99,535 in 2018, according to a Will County Gazette analysis of the latest data reported to the Illinois Department of Insurance Pension Division.

The fund has $6,890,045 in total assets. If the fund’s annual losses stay the same, it would run out of money in 70 years without these subsidies.

The fund earned $300,461 in investment income and other revenue in 2018. At the same time, it paid out $399,996 in expenses, according to the 2019 biennial report detailing the health of each of the state’s pension funds and retirement systems. The difference between the two shows the fund’s annual loss without subsidies.

Taxpayers added $457,521 to the fund’s revenue last year – an amount that has increased from $281,862 five years ago. Members contributed an additional $215,735 – $97,691 more than five years ago.

In all, subsidies amounted to $673,256 in 2018.

University Park Firefighters Pension Fund non-subsidy revenue over five years
YearTotal non-subsidy revenueTotal expensesOutcome without subsidies
2018$300,461$399,996-$99,535
2017$411,530$405,371$6,159
2016$65,701$349,732-$284,031
2015$319,613$299,582$20,031
2014-$276,203$258,957-$535,160

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