New Report Shows LAGERS is a Good Investment for Local Governments in Missouri

New Report Shows LAGERS is a Good Investment for Local Governments in Missouri

A new report released by the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System (LAGERS) shows that the pension plan is a small portion of local government budgets and is a good investment for employers.

In LAGERS first Pension Finance Survey, the pension fund asked around 700 local government financial officials about their views on the cost of the program. Almost all (7%) of the respondents said they believe LAGERS is a good investment for their organization. Only one responded that LAGERS is not a good investment and three responded that they didn’t know if it is a good investment.

The survey also found that contributions to LAGERS account for a small percentage of the overall local government’s budget. On average, only 2.8% of a local government’s budget goes toward paying the cost of the LAGERS program and over eight in ten respondents do not believe that LAGERS costs are a burden to their organization. These points likely contributed to the respondents saying LAGERS is a good investment.

According to LAGERS, the purpose of this survey was to gain insight into the funding of LAGERS benefits from their member employers’ point of view. The responses have helped LAGERS staff and board understand how member employers view their LAGERS costs and how these costs affect their overall operation.

The full report can be viewed here