➡️ 2026 - March 11th - Rob's Testimony Before County Council Urging Repeal of Council Pension Grab

Good evening Mr. Chair and members of the Council.

My name is Rob Daniels, and I am here today to urge you to pass Bill 19-26 repealing Bill 40-24.

Let’s be honest about what Bill 40-24 did. It allowed current council members who are leaving office at the end of this term to have their pensions calculated based on salary increases that take effect in the next term—raises they will never actually receive.

That is not how a defined benefit pension plan is supposed to work. Pensions are supposed to be calculated based upon the compensation you actually earn during your employment and the years you actually serve.    Bill 40-24 breaks that basic principle by allowing elected officials to include in that calculation money they never earned.

The result is massive windfalls. One example that’s been widely reported: a council member with twelve years of service could see his annual pension jump from roughly $41,000 to about $84,000. That is not a cost-of-living adjustment. That’s a golden parachute.

And the solution is simple. Repeal the bill.

There have been attempts to distract from that straightforward fix  —suggestions about reducing salaries, or complicated charter changes.  But none of those proposals address the core issue. As long as Bill 40-24 remains on the books, the windfalls remain.

There is also a broader issue of fairness and public trust.

Every other county employee must negotiate raises and cost-of-living increases through established processes. They have to wait their turn, make their case, and accept whatever the budget allows. Retired county workers have received only ONE COLA of 3% in the last 14 years.  Just in the last year, our county teachers were told that promised raises could not be delivered.

Yet Bill 40-24 effectively exempts the County Council from that same reality. It allows council members to lock in pension benefits based on raises they never earned.

The message that sends to the public is simple, and it is not a good one: “You’re on your own. You fight for scraps. But we’re taking care of ourselves.”

That is not the kind of leadership people expect from their elected officials.

Passing Bill 19-26 is an opportunity to correct this mistake. It’s an opportunity to restore the basic principle that public servants should play by the same rules as the people they represent.

Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to show the people of Baltimore County that their council is willing to put fairness and integrity ahead of self-interest.

It is never too late to do the right thing. 

I urge you to pass Bill 19-26 repealing Bill 40-24.

Thank you.

Posted on 11 Mar 2026, 14:21 - Category: News