Agreement Appears Close in Dallas Police and Fire Pension System Debate, But Trust Remains Shaky

After weeks of loud and heated rhetoric, the public debate over the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System has quieted to whispers.Leaders of police and fire associations, who held a recent march on City Hall, say they still have work to do but have made some progress. The City Council on Wednesday indefinitely tabled a resolution to call on the Legislature to not burden taxpayers with an unfunded mandate. On Thursday, Dallas Police and Fire Pension officials declined to discuss the details of a potential deal.It's possible that the bill to save the system from insolvency is now in the eye of a legislative storm, and more twists are in the offing. Distrust still abounds between City Hall and its public safety workers. But two long days of negotiations this week in Austin produced the framework for a potential agreement in the Senate between city leaders, pension officials and police and fire associations."It's really important to me and to everyone involved in this that we all get in the same boat rowing the same direction," said state Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas. "The animosity between all the parties needs to stop, and I think we made great strides in having that happen."  Continue reading...