AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Fire Department’s (AFD) new retirement plan is now in compliance with state law, ensuring financial support for firefighters long after they leave the job, city officials said.

The Texas Pension Review Board determined in late August that the Austin Firefighter Retirement Fund is actuarially sound, a turnaround from a few years ago, when the fund faced financial concerns.

“We didn’t have enough funding in order to pay all those obligations,” said Mayor Kirk Watson, who serves on the retirement fund board.

In 2022, the board provided a statutory cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) based on market conditions. But the following year, the Texas Pension Review Board found the fund actuarially unsound and issued an “at risk” letter under the Funding Soundness Restorati

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