I don't know what needs to be done, I'm just an observer. But you would think there would be a state-wide "office of negotiation" to help cities avoid being pu

I don't know what needs to be done, I'm just an observer. But you would think there would be a state-wide "office of negotiation" to help cities avoid being put in a bidding war between each other, and to avoid the typical contract pitfalls that they sign unknowingly. Publish a calculating spreadsheet that shows how people's pension benefits are calculated, and what line items (overtime, etc) will or will not be included, and what costs will be incurred to the city if they are/are not. And let people review and find out how it will be exploited. I'm allergic to incompetence and inertia of this level that gradually ratchets up the cost for everyone. Government jobs are not a charity to be milked into giving people benefits above and beyond. Government service is supposed to offer job security, not high pay for performance and risk (or at least that's what it generally has come to be). Why are we paying top dollar, along with job security and low performance?