Dania Beach, Fla., hired a law firm to study the $23.4 million police...

Dania Beach, Fla., hired a law firm to study the $23.4 million police and fire and $12.2 million general employees' pension plans and see how the city can lower costs, said Patricia Varney, director of finance. James Linn, a partner with the law firm Lewis Longman & Walker, will study the structure of the plans; an actuarial study by Michael Tierney, president at Actuarial Concepts, will follow. Ms. Varney said there has been some talk of converting the pension plans to defined contribution or hybrid plans, although it's too early to speculate about potential changes.