The week was highlighted by a debate over how to compensate city safety workers. There was no debating, however, the work and dedication shown by one Valley soldier.

Here are the top stories of the past week, along with selected comments posted by readers on fresnobee.com.

Costly pension plan hangs over city

What happened: Fresno City Manager Mark Scott said he will investigate a special city pension program that lets older employees draw retirement payments, which are set aside for them and draw high interest, while they're still working.

What it means: Their pension payments are held until the employees retire for good, and until June 30 the city paid a fixed 8.25% interest. Beginning this month, the interest dropped to an 8% variable rate. The Deferred Retirement Option Program, or DROP, has become a big expense to the city.

What readers said:

"I think this bad economy is the best thing that has happened to America...

"It has shed light on a lot of waste that we the people have been funding for years.

"Time for the tea Party to do its job or fade away."

-- SuperMex

"It takes a special person to be able to remain calm and do their job when they scoop a premie out of the toilet, do CPR on a child the same age as one of their own, or try and console family members when the matriarch of the family has just passed. Unlike the private sector, I don't have the ability to 'refuse service to anyone.' So, when the homeless guy who just pooped in my parking lot walks over to the phone because his chest hurts now from the exertion, I go help. If you haven't had to use our service, then it's easy to complain and feel you are being cheated. If you have used our service, then I bet you have a little more understanding of why we get paid well."

-- 1cp

As far as people can try to criticize the DROP program, this has been around for years in other municipalities. In fact, you can reference San Francisco, San Diego and other California cities who utilize DROP. Because the retirees do not have access to their pension funds, they must be entitled to some rate of return. Also, there are many other legal provisions in play when discussing how much control of the DROP investment and who can make investment decisions over those funds. Also, DROP was created to keep employees with specialized experience or skills in a department (often, because the city or municipality did not have a similar individual qualified who could takeover these positions). So, maybe if there was better preplanning and 'mentoring' of a replacement individual perhaps 5yrs before someone were to retire, than we would not need DROP."

-- captaindeuce

"Just because the largest, brokest cities in CA did it, is probably the worst reason for doing it. And experience only works if your labor force is expanding -- now that we are in a second 5 years of retraction, all the DROP participants have managed to do is BUMP bright young workers into unemployment and clog up promotions so the few survivors get no experience -- Great thinking!"

-- djhansen7

Bus crash investigation finished; lawsuits next

What happened: Nearly a year after a Greyhound bus plowed into an overturned Chevrolet TrailBlazer, investigators announce that the blame rests solely on the drunk young woman who was driving the SUV.

What it means: What was meant to be the final chapter in a tragic story -- six people died in the crash, including all three in the SUV -- is probably just the beginning of many lawsuits in civil court.