The possibility of a credit rating downgrade should give Colorado lawmakers extra motivation to strike a deal next year on a plan to stabilize the state’s financially burdened public employees’ pension fund.

But before we start throwing money at the problem, let’s make sure we get this generational fix to a crucial retirement tool for hundreds of thousands of Coloradans right, not fast.

The Denver Post’s Brian Eason reported last week that analysts at Standard & Poors Global Ratings said there was a one in three chance of Colorado suffering a slight down-tick in financial rating due to the instability of the Public Employees’ Retirement Association, also known as PERA. While that’s certainly concerning, it’s no more dubious than recent years’ financial reports from the pension showing the unfunded liability would continue to grow even under favorable stock-market performances.

Read more at The Denver Post.