Anything that can be done to save taxpayers money deserves careful consideration.

There’s no question about it. We are fortunate to live in a city that has relatively low taxes compared to many other places across Kentucky and the nation, for that matter.

One thing that does not help Kentucky taxpayers is a special legislative session. Whether under a Democratic or Republican governor, there have regularly been special sessions called to deal with certain issues. We have long believed that legislators, in most cases, have ample time to do the people’s business during regular sessions, especially the 60-day sessions in even-numbered years. Budgets are always debated and worked on during the longer sessions, because those issues obviously require more time and attention. While we understand the 30-day sessions in odd-numbered years is not a lot of time to get things done, historically Frankfort has shown that much can be done in short sessions without a special session being called. Special sessions cost taxpayers $33,000 a day when legislators are in Frankfort.

Gov. Matt Bevin has repeatedly said he would call a special session to try and overhaul one of the country’s worst-funded public pension systems. We agree with Bevin that something has to be done about this, considering our state is at least $41 billion short of the money it needs to pay retirement benefits over the next 30 years. The deficit is a combination of consistent underfunding by the state legislature, massive investment losses from the recession and lengthening lifespans of retirees, along with a static tax base.

Bevin has proposed a plan to deal with the pension crisis and in doing so has made many teachers and school superintendents across the state angry. Some school boards have even proposed giving teachers a day off to travel to Frankfort to protest if Bevin calls a special session.

It now appears that Bevin, who has never called a special session since becoming governor in 2015, is backing off. Last week, 47 of the 64 members of the House Republican Caucus wrote Bevin asking him not to call a special session. It is a clear signal from the GOP legislators that there is no clear consensus on how to deal with the pension problem.

Perhaps it is better to deal with the issue in the regular session that begins Jan. 2. We totally agree with Bevin that something has to be done about the troubled public pension system, but perhaps more thoughts and ideas need to be floated to try to find a plan that will attract enough support to be enacted.

We are glad Bevin is backing off calling a special session. There is a place for special sessions to deal with complex issues, but that place is when there is a consensus on the structure of the plan before the session is called. This allows legislators to do their work quickly, rather than flounder around for days on end at taxpayer expense.

One more thought on dealing with the pension crisis: Perhaps consideration should be given to dealing first with tax reform, another priority of Bevin’s that he has indicated will not be “revenue neutral.” Unless the funding gap is narrowed, revenue will continue to be sucked away from highways, education and other vital areas. It would seem that knowing how much additional revenue might be available would be valuable before a plan was crafted.