Their salaries and benefits, paid for with federal money, came to more than $167 million.

So the benefit really comes over the next year to 18 months.

In his mind, he said, not much benefit would come from it, anyway.

Instead, they say, the real benefit comes from making people work more efficiently.

There is now a recognition that those benefits may have come at a cost.

The full benefits will come through during the next few years.

But the real benefit of the plan would come later.

Another benefit to the combination may come in the area of money management.

For the city, the real benefits of the sale may not come from this deal.

But you didn't expect all these benefits to come for free.