“ALL ABOARD FOR THE FORT LAUDERDALE GRAVY TRAIN.”
Posted Under: Economic Improvement Suggestions,Fire Department Issues,Ft Lauderdale City Budget Issues,Important Issues for Fort Lauderdale,Police Department Issues
“ALL ABOARD FOR THE FORT LAUDERDALE GRAVY TRAIN”
Over the last five years (as in years in the past), our elected officials have been freely handing out annual salary increases to City employees. Called “Cost of Living Adjustments” (COLA’s), they have become a routine expectation on the part of City employees, even though the “cost of living” has declined significantly over the last several years.
These salary increases (COLAS) are in addition to longevity and merit bonuses (rewards just for showing up to work), annual step salary raises within an employee’s job /pay classification, lucrative pension benefits and paid health care.
Last year, Mayor Jack Seiler once again gave a 5% pay raise to city employees. This year he is giving another 2.5% pay raise to police and fire and has agreed to another 2.5% pay raise to police and fire next year. He has twice approved the largest budgets in Fort Lauderdale history to cover the costs of these pay raises.
The “creeping COLAS” (as I call them) may not seem like a lot when you look at any particular year. But just look at the last 5 years. Salaries have gone up as much as 21% since 2005! And when salaries go up this much, the associated pension costs go up as well, and it goes on, year after year.
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Year |
Police and Fire |
General Employees |
Management |
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(Part of Teamsters Union) |
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2005 |
2% increase |
2% increase |
2% increase |
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2006 |
6% increase |
4% increase |
4% increase |
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2007 |
0% increase |
5% increase |
5% increase |
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2008 |
5% increase |
5% increase |
5% increase |
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2009 |
5% increase |
5% increase |
0% increase |
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In Five years: |
18% increase |
21% increase |
16% increase |
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Plus: |
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2010 |
2.5% increase |
(salaries in “negotiaton”) |
(salaries in “negotiaton”) |
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2011 |
2.5% increase |
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These “Cost of Living Adjustments” (COLAS) awarded to City employees over just the last five years have cost City taxpayers over $150 million dollars, plus pension costs. Had our elected officials demonstrated real leadership during the last five years and held salaries steady, our current budget (in this year alone) would be $85 Million less. We could have had a property tax decrease, with an associated decrease in water, garbage, utility, electrical, licensing, parking and other fees.
But Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, a career politician with close ties to City employees, Big Business and Developers knows that his priorities are with these special interest groups who got him elected, not with Fort Lauderdale residents. Have you seen your utility bills and other fees to go up? Don’t be surprised to see a property tax increase next year too, to keep that City employee “Gravy Train” rolling right along.
The remainder of City employees are now asking for an 8% pay raise on top of what they’ve received over the last several years. The City is “in negotiations” with their unions, including the Teamster’s Union. It is expected that, once again, our Mayor and Commission will cave in and end up giving them a 4% COLA salary raise for next year. When was the last time you were an employee and received annual “cost of living” raises? Do you think we should continue to fork over our hard-earned money so that Mayor Seiler can continue to reward those who helped get him elected? No. We as taxpayers simply cannot afford to continue to have our elected officials ask for more money from us to pay already overpaid city employees.
Had enough of these ridiculous pay increases? Let Mayor Seiler know. His phone number is 954-828-5003. And stay tuned for some upcoming actions on our part to deal with this out of control spending addiction our elected officials have!
Earl Rynerson
Reader Comments
Can’t beat them, join them. I’m going to look for a job with the government. For a change, I’ll work 9 to 5 five days a week vs 24/7. One minute over and it’s considered overtime, I’ll get a pension (something I have no hopes of ever getting), breaks and lunch break (soemthing I rarely get as a small business owner), a secure weekly paycheck (something else I’d like to experience) and healthcare to boot (something I can only wish for). And all I have to do is show up! I’ll be applying tomorrow.
Mr. Rynerson, the 5% COLA was given because the city no longer has a defined pension plan for new hires. They only have a 401K. The higher COLA was to get the union to agree to the plan. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the bargaining process, the uhion has the right to bargain. The negotiations are just that. Management can offer a COLA, or other incentives, to try to get what they want. Which is what they did in this case. The city desired pension reform, and negotiated accordingly. It’s only fair to point out why the COLA in the current bargaining contract was desired and agreed to. The COLA was then given to non-bargaining employees for two reasons. One, fairness, and two, the city did not want to encourage the formation of more bargaining units. Some managers were exploring the formation of new bargaining units to represent them, which the city did not want to happen.
Here’s an example of waste in Ft Lauderdale. We were driving down AIA last Sunday morning on the way to church. There was a Ft Lauderdale truck and one landscaper trimming the bushes in the median. On a Sunday morning!
Ken, that’s OVERTIME. Plus, I went to the city last week, and apparently it was necessary to be greeted by TWO girls. One to think and the other one to write it down….maybe?
Earl, your understate the total increases. The “21% increase” is closer to 23% (22.8%) when you factor in the compounding nature of the raises year-after-year (19.2% for police/fire and 17% for management).
Thank you, Bob you are right. The salary (and associated pension benefits) have increased more than I originally stated, now by as much as 23% over the last 5 years!
Earl
This is probably one of the reasons that a small town like Hollywood can put on so many free events and Fort Lauderdale has cut out so many fun events…Air and Sea show,Zedico Festival just to name a couple anyone want to add to the list?
Just curious…I wonder how many police or firefighters are loosing their homes to foreclosure?
is fort lauderdale hiring because i could use some of that overtime.tax payers cover these colas while out of towners enjoy them
I’m curious too about forecosures on police or firefighters. My guess is 0.
Yes they can afford to, have we not all noticed “the parking ticket snipers” enforcement? They go after your with a terribly attitude and a vengeance.
Just today July4, I went to the IMAX theatre with a friend, I parked in the parking garage across the street. I tried to pay using the auto-mated machines but they were not working. I saw a parking enforcement officer and explained to her that the machines were A) not printing parking receipts and B) one was stuck and not functioning at all.
Her response to me “GASP, you probably dont know how to use the machine, you need to enter your spot number first sigh” with a very rude and condescending tone. I became angry and said “I know how to use the machine”, quickly she responded “no you dont”…I said “what, do you see all the people standing there, do you think we are all idiots?”
I was so mad, I then saw a police officer come by and flagger her down and explained what was going on, she was very polite and actually been called by other people trying to park and she had witnessed that the machines were broken.
My point is the attitudes of the city employees (parking specifically) need to change. THEY the police and parking officers are the first line of PUBLIC RELATIONS for the City of Fort Lauderdale and they should act respectful to citizens and visitors PERIOD!
I am running for District 2 Commission in January 2012 and one of my bullet items is that hard working tax paying citizens of Fort Lauderdale should not have to pay to park on weekends and holidays! We can easily make up the difference by cutting a whole lot of unnecessary spending in other areas. I am for fiscal responsibility and the lid to the cookie jar needs to be closed.
thank you,
Farzam
It is time for all COLAS to be suspended and a new budget proposal be drafted. Our City cannot afford to keep spending until the current dept is under control. Do they think that money is going to come from the Fed’s…? which comes from our taxes at the end of the day.
I am for raises when they are appropriate and can be afforded but right now they cannot, I would not vote to approve a single raise proposal. I would recommend a raise freeze for 2 years and then re-evaluate.
I would then take that 400k spent on remaking the image of Fort Lauderdale and hire some competent accountants to review the budget and recommend and ways for the City to balance its books. This would include areas to cut waste and non essencial spending that does not bring revenue and more tourism to Fort Lauderdale.
thank you,
Farzam
Mr. Rynerson,
While many other cities have recently raised their property taxes, Fort Lauderdale has not raised property taxes for the last 6 years and there has been no reduction in vital city services. Longevity pay for new employees ended with the 2005 fiscal year. The pension plan no longer exists for anyone hired after the 2007 fiscal year. Employees hired prior to the 2007 fiscal year pay 6% of their wages into the pension fund and also contribute towards whichever healthcare plan option they choose.
Our taxes haven’t been raised because they were already at a too-high rate ten years ago! Our taxes rate should have been lowered then to keep a consistent level of revenues coming in when property values (and tax revenues) went through the roof. Tax rates were not lowered, and as such the City raked in huge sums of money which they greedily spent.
And all your talk about changes to longevity pay and pensions relate only to the most recently hired people. There have been no changes to the vast majority of employees that are employed by the City.
Earl
TAX RATES OF FLORIDA’S
LARGEST CITIES
CITY POP. RATE
Jacksonville 855,660 10.0353*
West Palm Beach 102,475 8.0739
Cape Coral 164,673 7.9702
Miami 422,870 7.6740
Palm Bay 103,422 7.5000
Hollywood 142,397 6.7100
Hialeah 226,329 6.5400
Miramar 113,010 6.4654
St. Petersburg 246,378 5.9125
Tampa 343,209 5.7326
Miami Gardens 109,798 5.7141
Pembroke Pines 150,587 5.6880
Orlando 233,160 5.6500
Clearwater 109,625 5.1550
Pompano Beach 98,711 4.4077
Coral Springs 127,359 4.3559
Port St. Lucie 156,392 4.3098
Gainesville 132,217 4.2544
FORT LAUDERDALE 179,523 4.1193
Tallahassee 178,923 3.7000
Fort Lauderdale’s operating millage rate is the second
lowest of Florida’s 20 largest cities.
Sources (population and millage rates): University of
Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research;
Property Appraiser Offices throughout Florida.
* Jacksonville, which is consolidated with Duval County,
may levy up to $20 per $1,000 of taxable value.
JP, are you sure you’re not Jack Seiler or perhaps speaking on his behalf?? This is the type of BS we’ve been hearing too much of from the Mayor over the last 2years.
Comparing our rate to other cities means absolutely nothing; it only serves as an excuse to raise our tax rates in the future. We have been over-taxed for over 7 years; the fact that when property values almost doubled, our City’s budget almost doubled and our Financial Reserves grew out of proportion to what they should have been shows that our elected officials did not exercise fiscal responsibility. They should have REDUCED our tax rate then to keep revenue growth to the City at 1% to 3% per year (like most cities do). Had they done that, we would not have the bloated budget and swollen salary structure that we are trying to maintain.
So please stop listening to an out-of-touch Mayor and start listening to economic reality.
Earl