Finance Advisory Board Supports the City Manager

Comment Up
Over three hours later, the Finance Advisory Board made a motion:

The Finance Advisory Board supports and approves Staff efforts to request the reduction in the current PBSO Contract.

The motion passed on a 5/1 vote with Jessica Plotkin dissenting.

Well, that's a start. And if we want to retain the Sheriff, that is what will have to occur--reduce the cost of services. The only problem with this theory is the simple fact that we will always have no control over PBSO costs and it will continue to be a battle going forward.

Whether they implemented their 7% raise or not should not be the question. The Sheriff had the right to go forward with that 7%. Because of our City Manager, Susan Stanton, they negotiated it down last year by reducing the number of men.

The Impact to the City of even having the Sheriff was and continues to be substantial:

• Cost to operate District 14 (The City of Lake Worth pays for all maintenance, water, sewer, electric and janitorial services at our police facility. We also are responsible for all fixtures, furnishings, equipment and costs related to operate the District office).
  

• Excess Sick, Annual, Compensatory or Holiday Leave. (Amount of employee leave is paid by Lake Worth)

• Cancellation costs relating to the existing Leases we had before we merged. (Remember the Motorola contract?)

• Impact on City's I.T. Internal Service Fund

• Impact on City's Health Insurance Quotation (Our carrier raised the premium due to Police merger)

• Impact to the City for continued funding of the existing Police Pension Fund. (Conservative estimates reflected an annual cost of over $1.1 million over a 7 year period to adequately fund the Police Pension Plan). With Karri Casper taking a leading role in demonstrating and speaking out for the PBSO against the City, there seems to be a conflict of interest. She was appointed by the Commission to represent the City's interests on the Police Pension Board.
  

Bill Thrasher was nominated and elected to the position of FAB Secretary. Next month, there are three seats coming up for appointments to this Board. These appointees will begin their term on August 1, 2011 for one year. They better re-write their Ordinance. There will always be a problem with it.