This article doesn't tell the whole story. Yes, PERS is a problem in Oregon. However, some of the anecdotes of counties cutting services are not related to PERS. For example, Josephine County, next door county to mine, has the lowest property tax rates in the state. Property owners in the county have repeatedly rejected tax increases to pay for basic services like the Sheriff's Department, and as a result have experienced some of the cut backs described in the article. This is not a result of PERS contributions.