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North Cook News

Sunday, November 2, 2025

Analysis: Northbrook Firefighters Pension Fund would go broke in eight years without taxpayer subsidy

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Without members and taxpayers subsidizing its revenue, Northbrook Firefighters Pension Fund lost $6,104,982 in 2016, according to a North Cook News analysis of the latest data reported to the Illinois Department of Insurance Pension Division.

The fund has $44,085,666 in total assets. If the funds annual losses were the same, it would run out of money in eight years without these subsidies.

The fund earned $1,771,189 in investment income and other revenue in 2016. At the same time, it paid out $7,876,171 in expenses, according to the 2017 biennial report detailing the health of each of the states pension funds and retirement systems. The difference between the two shows the funds annual loss without subsidies.

Taxpayers added $1,565,117 to the funds revenue last year – an amount that has increased from $1,046,064 five years ago. Members contributed an additional $631,545 – $53,361 more than five years ago.

In all, subsidies amounted to $2,196,662 in 2016.

Northbrook Firefighters Pension Fund non-subsidy revenue over five years
YearTotal non-subsidy revenueTotal expensesOutcome without subsidies
2016$1,771,189$7,876,171-$6,104,982
2015$3,046,218$3,290,219-$244,001
2014$4,304,074$2,971,034$1,333,040
2013$3,102,076$2,844,890$257,186
2012$904,050$2,509,548-$1,605,498

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