The Ruinous City Council Bill 2011-400 (Pension Funding for certain public employees)

[Daniel R. Carr]

Just more of slick & slippery tactics by your elected rep's...........this e-mail was sent to Council yesterday, and highlights the obfuscatory methods and obstacles erected to avoid or inhibit intelligent and sane discussion by the public on a matter that could simply BANKRUPT our fair city. Looks like we'll be needing a repeat of last September's taxpayer turnout for whenever this bill comes up again (soon).

  

Dear Council President, Council Members, and Finance Committee Members,

  I have been following subject Bill with great interest for a considerable time, and being aware that it falls under the purview of the Finance Committee, checked the published agenda for this morning's meeting (Tuesday, 02 August) to find it NOT LISTED. I therefore decided to watch the live internet streaming of the meeting instead of attending. Imagine my incensed frustration to find that the Bill was debated indirectly through 2011-377 & 2011-378, and Public Comment was allowed (though NOT PUBLISHED in the agenda). The only notice of Public comment appeared in the Agenda Minutes, which were posted this afternoon at 15:00 hrs.  If one did not attend the Agenda meeting at 09:30, he/she would not know about this oppurtunity.

How can you disenfranchise the Public in such a manner? This is not the Government we, as taxpayers, voted for last May! To use such tactics is to do a disservice to all your constituents - especially with a Bill having hundreds of millions of dollars in effect on taxpayers and the very foundation of the City's financial future.

 I and many others more qualified have useful thoughts on why 2011-400 needs to be discarded in its present iteration and re-formulated completely. We were precluded from offering these ideas to you by virtue of the aforementioned maneuver, and per the posted Minutes of the Agenda Meeting,

"2011-377 and -378 (future pension benefits and funding) – Chairman Clark stated that, at the request of the Council President, he will offer a public comment period for citizens who want to address any pension issue.  No public input will be allowed at next week’s Council workshop on pension issues."

What, then, is the purpose of a "Workshop", if not to receive intelligent, thoughtful, researched, and cogent thoughts from the diverse public, and debate among Council members themselves?

 I ask you, in the name of good stewardship of City Finances and responsibility to the Taxpayers, to publish in advance, and allow equal-time open public comment either at the Workshop scheduled for 08 August between 13:00-16:00 hrs., or another time prior to moving this Bill forward.

Yours truly,

D. R. Carr

[Patricia M. McBride]

Carl and Diana, first comment? 

[CARL & DIANA DOANE]

would not take first comment

[CJ]

Yes Ma'am they are so much so they is a law suit pending over the fee's the Police/Fire Fighters charged to get paperwork as well as the time involved in getting those requested, it took months

[Patricia M. McBride]

CJ, thanks for addressing this issue.  I know you have worked MUCH more on this.  The 8% is certainly the most important thing they didn't address, and I don't know why they don't want to do this in the open and with public feedback.  People are getting so sick of this type of politician!

[CJ]

Daniel thanks for picking this up and sharing it, Concern Tax Payers have been all over it but its like they dont exist

I hope Mayor Brown really looks deeper into the Pension Bills currently on the Agenda now.

Negotiations have been going on for over two years but Peyton and Webb in an attempt to make themselves look good before leaving office sacrificed the very people that have to pay these funds pushed and pushed hard to have these Bills passed before leaving looking out for themselves and no one else.

The actuary at 8% could easily come down to at least 7% or maybe even lower to 61/2 % and the State would approve it. That is one of the suggestions from tax payers that are being blown off because the "powers that were" never wanted input from the public. Everything was done behind closed doors and requests for public records were met with outrageous costs and/or delayed for months.

I would like to see the Mayor take these negotiations back to the drawing board and take constructive suggestions from intelligent people that would result in an equitable outcome for everyone involved.

Peyton and Webb sat on these "negotiations" for two years worked on it for 3 months then tried to push it through the last month before leaving and interoffice communication proves it.

Mr. Brown please go back and use some input from concerned tax payers that have nothing to gain but the satisfaction of knowing they are out to save tax payers money as a solution right away not 30 years down the line.

 

[Patricia M. McBride]

Marcie, although I highly recommend reading 2011-400 (and watch your blood pressure, because you will be ripped when you see some of what is in this bill). In the mean time, here is the short version.....see the 3 or so posts below as only so much will fit in a post) and some other info including a cut and paste from the actual bill.

[Patricia M. McBride]

2011-400 ORD-MC Amend Chapt 121 (Police & Firefighters Pension Plan), Ord Code; Create New Category of Member - "Group II Member" Based on Date of Hire on or after 10/1/11; Create New Sec 121.114 (Management of Investments) re Establishment of Guidelines & References within Code for Prog of Investments to be Administered by Police & Fire Pension Bd of Trustees; Estab Prog of Pension Benefits Extended to Group II Members; Provide for Amend #4 to Restated Agreemt with Police & Fire Pension Bd of Trustees; Request Emerg Apv. (Germany) (Req of Mayor) Public Hearing Pursuant to Chapt 166, F.S. & CR 3.601 - 6/28/11
	1. 6/14/2011 CO Introduced: R,F
	R: Read 2nd & Rerefer   Go here for long summary on pages 29 and 30.: http://cityclts.coj.net/coj/Council/JUNE-14-2011-SUMMARY.pdf

[Patricia M. McBride]

Here is one section that gives me major heartburn, it basically allows for a 3% COLA each and every year after a certain point after retirement. Doesn't sound too bad huh? Well, think about the fact most of these folks are retiring in their early 40s and after 20 years of 3% COLAs, they go from making roughly $50,000 to making about double that. And if nothing has changed in this bill, what that means is, some guy who is say at 50, marries a trophy wife of 25, and then, has a heart attack and dies at 52, leaves a 27 year old wife who will collect his retirement until the day she dies with COLAs (even if she gets remarried to a millionaire.............no matter what the circumstances). This is a very bad contract, and only a union could get this. In the Navy, you have to forgo part of your retirement pay (and it's significant like 30%) for your wife to get maybe half or less of what you get, and if she remarries, all bets are off on the retirement, and she loses all other benefits (she has to turn in her ID card which means no prescription drugs, no commissary, no exchange privileges and no use of any facilities available to military and retired military personnel. It was significant enough that Donald and I decided it was not worth it!

[Patricia M. McBride]

(d) Cost of Living Adjustments.

(1) A Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) based on each prior annual benefit amount actually received (exclusive of one-time bonuses or adjustments) shall be provided for Group II Retirees and their eligible survivors. Group II Retirees and their eligible survivors shall be granted a COLA in the amount of three (3) percent on the first bi-weekly pay period in January following the stipulated formula and COLA delay schedule described herein. Group II Retirees who retire prior to September 30^th of a given calendar year are eligible for the commencement of COLA adjustments in the third succeeding January after retirement. Group II Retirees who retire after September 30^th of a given calendar year are eligible for the commencement of COLA adjustments in the fourth succeeding January

(2) In addition to the COLA, a minimum adjustment supplement of five (5) dollars per month for each year of actual credited service used to compute the pension benefit shall be provided for Group II Retirees and their survivors, and it shall be paid beginning with the first full bi-weekly pay period after retirement, and continuously thereafter; provided however that such supplement shall be no less that forty (40) dollars nor more than one hundred and fifty (150) dollars per month. The adjustment supplement described herein shall be based upon the member’s actual years of service rather than imputed years of service, which is used for purposes of calculating pension benefits under the disability retirement provisions of Section 121.211(b) and the

You can also read the bill which I recommend as it is a nightmare for the taxpayers of our fair city, and abviously, we are not going to reign these folks in to reality at all. They are just going to kick the can down the road yet again!

 

 

[Michael Jackson]

Here is the link for each of the councilmen/women  Jacksonville..

http://www.coj.net/City-Council/City-Council-Members.aspx