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July 30th, 2007
VOTE IN THE NEXT ELECTION, YOU MUST PREVAIL
WE ARE PUBLISHING THE W-2 FILINGS ISSUED TO ALL CITY OF NEW SMYRNA BEACH EMPLOYEES FOR THE YEARS 2001 THROUGH 2006 AS A PDF. (SEE LINK). PLEASE DISREGARD NAMES HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW, LIGHT GREEN, AND GREEN AS HAVING SPECIAL RELEVANCE. THE CITY CHOSE TO PROVIDE THE SHADOW THIS INFORMATION IN PAPER FORM, RATHER THAN ELECTRONIC FORMAT. THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO MASSAGE AND ANALYZE. THE PDF SHOWS THE DATA AS FIRST PROVIDED, AND AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET IS BEING PREPARED TO ALLOW FOR EASE OF MANIPULATION AND ANALYSIS. UNFORTUNATELY, COMPLETING THE SPREADSHEET PRIOR TO PUBLICATION TODAY WAS BEYOND OUR LIMITED RESOURCES. ADDITIONALLY, THE SHADOW DID NOT HAVE THE TIME TO REQUEST AND OBTAIN MISSING INFORMATION. THEREFORE, CONSIDER THE PDF INFORMATION AS A WORK IN PROGRESS. IT WILL BE PUT INTO A MORE READABLE, AND HOPEFULLY, UNDERSTANDABLE FORMAT FOR ANALYSIS PURPOSES AND UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
SAND CASTLE BUDGETS
The New Smyrna Beach Tax Reform Committee is participating in the discussions of the 2008 budget. Ken Taylor is their representative, has informed the City and the Shadow of his involvement, and requested a full participatory role at its workshop meetings that will be held commencing on August 1, 2007. He can be contacted at:
If it rains between now and Wednesday August 1, 2007, they will not need to hold the work shop on the New Smyrna Beach proposed budget---it will have washed away. This document is beautiful if the design is to show how the City’s elected officials have decided not to address any of the serious flagrant spending problems. The 800 pound gorilla in the City is the disastrous and unaffordable contract with the IAFF---the fire department union. The next issue is why build the unneeded fire station unless you have already used the bond money for other purposes, possibly improperly, --- or possibly budgeted but not, yet spent. Worse, the projections for anticipated revenue always show little or no deficit or subsidy for most of these City projects. If any of these projections are not realized the City will be over spent by more than the $1.5 million dollars currently projected as revenue, and they will have to pay for these expenditures ( increased subsidy for almost all of the projects) out of reserve funds. The proposed 3% across the board pay increase for all employees does not show a serious commitment to cut spending.
The most bothersome aspect of the current drill is that we expect them to claim that they cannot discuss the fire department contract because it is under negotiation. Having publically announced that they are giving the other City employees an across the board 3% increase because of CPI, they will be hard pressed to do otherwise for the fire department, unless intestinal fortitude kicks in and these commissioners have shown little to none in the past. The best retort to anticipated increases is to show that many employees have had 15% to 20% increase every year since 2001 and their salaries must be decreased to offset any across the board increases. An alternative method that may have been used in the past would be to sneak in a contract later in the year giving even higher increases. See the related article that explains how the Port Orange contract incorporated an item placed on an agenda at the last minute doing just that for their IAFF members.
Look, Governor Crist took a stand on spending cuts; so should the City. The 3% fire department pension calculation figure should be repealed, and fire department personnel should be required to contribute 8% of their salary to the pension fund just as their police department brothers do. No pussyfooting around at the workshop. Take a position, stick by it, and show the taxpayers you really mean to cut spending. The Shadow really believes fire department personnel have had a good thing going, and if the City is to remain solvent, that “good thing” must be revised. Please do not take it is off the table that is tantamount to saying you will not address these issues publically.
Then there is the large number of “prestige “gas guzzlers assigned to the City administrators as well as the take-home cars for police officers. Why not at least cut off the free gas. At around $3.00/gallon, that is a no brainier. How about reigning in the CRA and not dredging in front of Captains Quarters. The Shadow has seen nothing pronouncing the death of this useless, wasteful project. However, dead pet projects for the CRA seem like Voodoo dead in Haiti—they come back from the grave and it requires a wooden stake through the heart of the proposal to kill a useless CRA project.
CUT SPENDING. That is Governor Crist's message, and it is clearly resonating with the taxpayers. Do it, or suffer the consequences!
NOTES
1. There they go again. The posted response to the article recommending reconstitution of the fire department as a reasonably paid medical rescue service was apparently answered by the NSB IAFF union through a posting on the bulletin board (people's blog) that starts with a total falsehood. The writer states that the article is wrong because it mistakenly referred to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue squad, which does not exist, and that we must have been referring to the Virginia Beach volunteer service (200 miles South) where he had anecdotal stories to tell.
2. The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad web site can be accessed using the following LINK http://www.bccrs.org/ Please click on the link and determine for yourself whether it exists or not, how it operates, and its apparent effectiveness. We have no idea how the Virginia Beach operation functions, but when times are less hectic, we will forward the anecdotal statements to them and publish their response. It looks like the attack is of a kind that was mounted by some fire department personnel pooh-poohing the idea that Altamont Springs did not save millions of dollars by merging with Seminole County fire service. Nice try but no cigar. Get your facts straight, we do! These guys must be products of government schools. What can you expect?
3. We are constantly amazed at how the police department continues to obtain grants for expensive vehicles and makes no effort to economize. The latest, a Dodge Charger that was purchased with grant money, was supposed to be used as an unmarked vehicle dedicated to DUI activities. Conditions of the grant notwithstanding, Chief Pagano ordered it painted, and if you see a black Charger with police markings cruising around town, that is your federal and city tax money at work. We wonder who will get to take this home at night and whether we will continue to pay for the gas for the commute. Commander Drossman gave it a check out last week! By the way, we heard the other day that the pursuit vehicle no longer sleeps in Pierson! Thank you John.
1. It turns out it seems that Jon Williams the City Manager of Edgewater, we will call some of their Commissioners Strangewater Commissioners, did not request the Volusia County Sheriff's Office to quote the cost for police service. The Police Chief may have done that, and we commend him for pursuing that avenue of inquiry. It is clear that the quote was given, that further negotiations were invited, and then the stream gets murky. We do not know whether the e-mailed document was given to the City Manager, but it is addressed to the City. The Shadow is certain they will straighten out “who shot John,” but apparently; the Strangewater Commissioners believe that spending money was better than comparison shopping for a lower cost service. Hey, its only your tax money in their wallet.
2. In this era of declining revenue it is very strange that the Anglers Club rip off of not paying a fair rent ($25 per annum), or paying little to no taxes on property that is not being assessed properly for its real value is allowed to continue. Not one of the Commissioners will stand up and say enough is enough; are they or their families’ members? We were thinking the other day that maybe there are now more Yankees in the County today then there are “old boys.” You know, the ones that tell all the Northerners to go home and stop talking about the way it is done back there. However, forget the verbiage, the issue is how to reduce the budget and cut spending, and one of the best ways is to stop giving away tax money. It would be nice at the budget workshop on August 1st if they talked about the loss of $25,000 to $50,000 in rent and another $100,000 in taxes each year because they think it is to politically dangerous to tell the “good ole’ boys” that it is a new day in this no longer sleepy little town of charm. Since Mr. Gummey believes that he works for the Mayor and not the City Commission, perhaps the Mayor would publically ask him how hard it would be to break the 1944 lease that was probably not valid under State law the day it was written. Hey, asking the question will not hurt, but then again, isn’t the Mayor an honorary member of the Anglers Club? He could always say the Shadow made him do it. Then again, maybe our Commissioners should be called Pandersmyrna Commissioners, based on their performance.
DEAR JOHN
We know of the limited resources available to John Hagood, the City Manager, and to his inability to get all of the important letters written that he would like to send. So we decided to help him and provide him drafts that will simplify his tasks and free him up for important.
MEMORANDUM
TO: All Commissioners
FROM: John Hagood
CC: City Attorney
July 30, 2007
It has become an embarrassment to the City that while we are scrounging for new sources of revenue, nothing has been done about the absurd $25 a year lease for prime marine property with the Anglers Club. I have estimated that with only an assessment of 8% of its fair market value, the lease would bring in at least $40,000 annually.
Worse is the failure of the County Property Appraiser to assess it appropriately. The covered boat shed is worth over $500,000 alone (they spent almost $100,000 repairing it after one of the hurricanes), and the property is probably worth more than $5,000,000, rather than the current assessment which is less than $300,000. I am concerned that someone might bring this to the attention of the Governor. If this should happen, the City might suffer severe repercussions from his office. If the property is worth $5,000,000, it represents a tax loss of $100,000 a year to the City.
Since Mr. Gummey works for the City Commission but only takes direction from the Mayor, would you please vote to have the Mayor tell him to use his extraordinary legal mind to resolve this conundrum before it becomes a scandal. By the way, could he get a list of current boat slip tenants so we can tell who is ripping us off? I was going to take down the registration numbers and look up the owners but thought it was easier for you to just ask your attorney for the list.
Thanking you in advance for your assistance,
John Hagood
CONSEQUENCES OF TAX CUTS
The following is an article we published earlier this year in the hope that it would be of value to our conscientious city officials as they worked diligently to reduce spending to help lower your taxes. Although our suggestions were on the mark, they have taken the position that it is not necessary to reduce spending by such a large amount. One last thought. The City will be saving over $300,000 in reduced charges from the RCC, they are only planning to reduce the budget by $200,000, and they have built in a 3% across the board pay raise for all city employees. Huh? Consider what we proposed, consider what they are proposing, attend the budget workshop on August 1st and let them know which approach you favor.
“There is imminent action by Governor Crist and the State legislature to reign in profligate tax and spending by the Counties and municipalities. It is not that we are being taxed at too high a rate. Florida is in the bottom half, percentage wise, in taxing its citizens. The problem is that their elected officials have not been spending their tax revenues on goods and services that benefit the common good, but rather the “who do you know good.” Because of the way in which property tax is assessed, a category of the taxpayers are punished in a way never envisioned or intended by the homestead provisions of current property tax laws. Let us assume that the so-called Rubio bill is adopted, since it is the most Draconian in reducing the property tax. Let us also assume that our City Commissioners do not impose other taxes to offset the direct property tax loss—such as lighting districts. With these assumptions, the City believes it must reduce spending by 14%, but we do not know 14% of what. The City budget is about $45 million, but about $20 million of that are obligations not subject to a discretionary cut of 14%, therefore, the 14% is probably applicable to only about $25 million. If you add in a 3% inflation factor for 2007, the cut is 17% of $25 million or $4.25 million.
We think this a painful number, but interestingly, not one that will adversely affect service or require that any of the City workers that do the work. On the other hand, if I were a superfluous manager, I would be concerned. Of course, we all know that the current department managers’ immediate task is to figure out how to cut their last year's budget by 14%, and we are not privy to their preliminary efforts. However, we have decided to help, and offer the following suggestions to achieve the goal of $4,500,000:
It should be the policy of the City Commission that no additional future obligations should be incurred for the 2008 budget.
It should be the policy of the City Commission not to incur additional debt to build police and fire facilities buildings. Alternatives using currently approved finds should be sought.
Do not fill current three senior management positions $300,000
Reduce fire department overtime $300,000
Reorganize fire department, reduce number of BCs & LTs $300,000
Reduce police department overtime $300,000
Eliminate four police Commanders $300,000
Appoint a deputy chief of police $?
Reduce 911 payments to Port Orange by $300,000
Reduce subsidy to golf course by $100,000
Reduce CRA projects except west Canal $500,000
Combine City Public Works & Parks & Recreation $200,000
Reduce City Attorney’s budget $100,000
ESTIMATED TOTAL SAVINGS $2,700,000+
That is over half the worst case scenario of $4.25 million, and we have no insight into where the reserves are hidden.
These suggestions may be enough for the best case scenario.
It is food for thought!
The Shadow does not have the ability to generate the correct numbers, and there are those who differ with us offering suggestions like that of combining Parks and Recreation with Public works. We are sure that the City Manager will compile a better list of savings. However, if asked, we will work with City management and staff to achieve an acceptable budget.”
“Best Blog of the Week”
(Edited for grammar and punctuation)
A POTPOURRI OF CITIZEN COMMENTS IS
AGAIN PROVIDED THIS WEEK IN ORDER
FOR YOU TO GET IN TUNE WITH THE
MOOD OF OUR READERS
The City Manager is not being unduly "influenced" by the Shadow or anybody else on this website. Seem to me you're just angry because the City Unions are no match for an organized and motivated electorate who have now decided that enough is enough...and who want to curb the Unions endless demands for more and more....The on going FD contract talks are an indication of this; the City Council and/or City Manager can not and will not be caving in to the Unions demands this time around, mainly because so many people are now watching them, and so the chances of the FD Union getting anymore than a 3-4 percent raise is now absolutely out of the question. In fact, they may find any raise they do get being eaten up by increased pension contribution rates. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD! Ask any senior citizen who receives Social Security, they will tell you that SS goes up 3 percent, and Medicare goes up 6 percent. The result=NO RAISE. WHY DO YOU THINK THE FD IS ENTITLED TO ANYTHING MORE?
Is Cindy R's salary jump from $36,000 to $91,000 the norm in the Fire Department, or is it due to her husband the Commissioner? Is it just a coincidence that her husband was elected to the City Commission during this period where her salary leaped 150 percent? DO YOU BELIEVE IN COINCIDENCES?
Message to Sally (shot-lot) MacKay. It is time to take a stand on the union wage issue. We know where you stand on development. You are opposed to overdevelopment--unless of course you are the person doing the over development. But what is your stand on the city wages. You may consult with your fellow "short loters" Diesen and Richenberg. You can put your answer on your blank web page. http://sallymackayformayor.org/
We also must remember SHANNON LEWIS and her CANAL CALORE DREDGING PROJECT. She should see it now filling in at the mouth faster than ever before. Last week end one of the leaders of the group that planned this with the city almost was stuck and his motor was throwing mud everywhere. POETIC JUSTICE. Every REAL ESTATE AGENT should find out about the mouth filling in and the maintenance ordinance to keep the mouth open before selling property on the canal.
Its time our hose draggers start paying for their own retirement. Right now they only contribute 1 percent to their own pensions. To me, 6 percent sounds good. The 8 percent the Police pays sounds even better. ITS TIME TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK ON THE OUTRAGEOUS BENEFITS PACKAGES THAT OUR CITY COMMISSION HAS HANDED OUR FIREFIGHTERS (in exchange for their votes) (look at the front page
According to the "Hometown News,” the city is planning on only making a $200,000 cuts in the budget. According to the news journal, the city commission needs to cut nearly 2.8 million to get its budget in line with spending in 2001 plus inflation and growth. The city is only making 10% of the cuts the governor said the city should make. Here is the math. The 2001 budget was 6,812,658. You add 16% inflation and 15.10% for growth you get a 31.10 % increase or $9,887,747.46 total budget. The 2006 budget was $12,604,656 the difference is $2,716,909.
City Employees (including the City's FD & PD ) contribute to their own pensions. But they do so in a very tax advantaged manner....they don't pay personal income tax on those monies that go towards their own pensions( 1 percent of salary for NSB Firefighters, and 8 percent for NSB Police Officers) However, this is the same tax advantage given to those taxpayers lucky enough to have an employer who offers a 401K pension plan, which are now the norm in the private sector....But what you should be concerned with is this gap between the contribution rate between FD and PD personnel....And you should also compare their plans to what private companies are offering: A Defined Contribution Pension Plan vs. a Defined Benefit Plan...........The two are quite dissimilar; While the latter Guarantees a retiree X amount of dollars for the rest of the retirees life, (plus a COLA) as in the case of our Firefighters and Police Officers, with the guarantors of this program being the City's Taxpayers. The former ( a Defined Contribution Plan) simply requires the employer ( the taxpayers) to chip in X amount towards a City employees pension. In other words, the market risk in a Defined Benefit Pension Plan rests solely on the taxpayers-while the risk in a Defined Contribution Pension Plan rest solely on the retiree, who by the way, is given control of just how his or her retirement funds are invested. .....So...ISN'T IT NICE TO KNOW THAT IF THE STOCK MARKET CRASHES, YOUR RETIREMENT INCOME WILL
I understand that the Commander Drossman is driving the charger. Maybe joy riding would be a better term
PORT ORANGE
This message was sent to Governor Crist by a taxpayer in Port Orange. Remember, this is the contract our fire department is telling us to match, and to the Shadow's knowledge, the City has not indicated any effort to raise the contribution level of fire department personnel to 8% or to reestablish 2% as the proper multiplier for the computation of the pension.
Last September, I spoke at the City of Port Orange's first Budget Adoption Hearing. (Two are required)
I mentioned the incredible rise in the costs of the City's Pension Plans for our City's Firefighters and Police officers. ( In Port Orange, pension plan costs have risen 5700 percent for Firefighters, and 1300 percent for Police Officers since 2001) ............
The City Council members and City Manager all agreed that these costs have risen dramatically............
We were then interrupted by the City Attorney, who cautioned the City Council about discussing the City's Union Contracts, because the City was at that time, in negotiations with the Unions..............Then not two months later, the Council approved new contracts with both the FD and PD, which left the Pension Plans completely intact, and gave them a 4 percent raise!......
This of course, was NOT on the City Council's Regular Agenda, as it appeared on the City's Website, but "added" to the "REVISED AGENDA" by the City Manager at the start of that Council Meeting. In other words........NOBODY KNEW THE UNION CONTRACTS WERE ON THE AGENDA........and, Low and Behold, wouldn't you know, all the Councilmen voted for this new contract with our City's Public Safety Unions with little or no comment at all!.............................
Now, just recently, I went to one of these special Budget Meetings that my City Council is having at 5 pm ( TO RECEIVE PUBLIC INPUT ON THE CITY'S BUDGET CRISIS), and again, I noted the incredible rise in costs of our City's Firefighter and Police Officer's Pension Plans............
THEN I WAS TOLD THAT SINCE THE CONTRACTS ARE NOT OPEN-AND THE UNIONS WILL NOT AGREE TO RE-OPEN THEIR CONTRACTS, AND THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO FIND OTHER AREAS IN THE BUDGET TO CUT...........
...........In other words, they "Saved" the Union's Pension Plans, and are now busy trying to 'FIND" cut in parks, recreation, athletics, etc. etc. etc. (everything that the TAXPAYERS would like the City to do for THEM)
......In the meantime, the City Council tells everyone who will listen, that "EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE (as far as Budget Cuts)
MEANING; EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE-EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS THEY TOOK OFF THE TABLE!”
ps:
Last year, the City of Port Orange spent $2.6 million dollars on the Pension Plans for our City’s Firefighters and Police Officers. That’s an AVERAGE cost of $17,000 per employee! The City Council also approved "enhancements to the General Employee Pension Plans which costs the taxpayers of this City several hundred thousand more....
And now it seems they would like everyone to believe, they can't find any money to cut the lawn around City Hall, or repave our roads, or DO ANYTHING FOR THE TAXPAYERS!”
NO TO BEACH CONDOS
Reprinted below is the newest assault on the Beachside Condominium Community. Whether you agree or do not agree with the intended result, keep in mind that it limits current property rights and is likely to end in a long drawn out and acrimonious litigation. More importantly, it continues to send the message that the City of New Smyrna Beach is antagonistic to the tourist industry that is one of the main engines of our local economy. We have no large industrial base, and growth of the tourist industry is one of the few ways to increase the tax base and avoid putting all of the burdens on the current real estate base. Local governments continue to levy and collect disproportionate amounts of property tax and indirect taxes throughout the State. If they do not expand the taxpayer base, current taxpayers will continue to see increases.
Local governments, specifically elected officials, are not addressing the big ticket spending reductions. In our case, Richenberg and Plaskett continue to press for zoning and other land use restrictions that will require only current taxpayers to pay for the excessive spending addressed elsewhere.
From: Doug Doudney [ddoudney@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2007 3:14 PM
To: Doug Doudney
Subject: IMPORTANT NEW SMYRNA BEACH NEWS
To affected New Smyrna Property Owners,
Monday, June 9; I attended a hearing of the Planning and Zoning Board of New Smyrna Beach. I was there to oppose an involuntary down-zoning of most of the coastal properties within city limits. What I learned is the proposal is even more egregious than expected.
Here are the important facts;
most residential properties in the area from Crawford Rd (about 1/4 mi north of Flagler Ave.) to the southern city limits (4495 S. Atlantic Ave.) will be down-zoned from R-6 to R-4. The height limit for R-6 is 95' (9 stories); for R-4 it's 45', or 4 stories. The impacts to you vary depending on the type of property you have.
For Low-Rise Owners: When you consider re-development of your tract, you will be subject to the 45' limit rather than have potential for up to 9 story buildings as you currently have.
Although you may not be considering re-development soon, the imposition of this new height limit is a definite reduction in potential land value. And because of the storm risk, we never know when unplanned re-development might be necessary.
For Buildings Taller Than Four Stories: If you're an owner of a condo unit in a building of 5 or more floors, in the event of re-development, you will not be able to re-build more than four stories! This means if a hurricane renders your building unusable and you own on the fifth floor or higher, you've probably just lost your unit forever!
The city planner tried to explain the building could be rebuilt on a bigger base so you could have just as many units on the new 4 floors, but I'm at loss to think of any New Smyrna building which has enough extra land to accommodate a larger footprint.
He also presented it as no problem for owners because it could be up to fifty years before the buildings reach obsolescence. Although we can hope this is the case, we've seen how a weather event could cause mass damage to any building at any time.
If you have a high-rise unit and wonder why you didn't get notice of this unprecedented taking, it's because the city only sent one notice to the Homeowners Association of each building, not to the individual owners of each unit.
This proposal passed the Planning and Zoning Board with only one dissenting vote. It now goes to the city's Board of Commissioners, maybe as soon as August 14. After hearings at two separate meetings, it will become law.
The affected property owners need to fight this now. We will be formulating a plan to oppose vigorously it, but the most important factor will be participation by all affected owners. Please pass this alert to all you know who have New Smyrna beach front property.
Doug Doudney, Pres.
Coalition For Property Rights
407-481-2283
VOTE IN THE NEXT ELECTION, YOU MUST PREVAIL
CHANGE IS THE NAME OF THE GAME! BUSINESS AS USUAL AT CITY HALL IS NOT ACCEPTABLE VOTE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION. YOU CAN HAVE YOUR SAY. DO NOT RELY ON YOUR NEIGHBORS TO DO YOUR JOB. IF YOU CANNOT GO TO THE POLLS, OR YOU WILL BE OUT OF TOWN ON ELECTION DAY, REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, MARK, AND RETURN IT TO THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS BEFORE YOU LEAVE. THERE WILL BE A PRIMARY ELECTION ON OCTOBER 9 IF MORE THAN TWO CANDIDATES RUN. THE GENERAL ELECTION IS NOVEMBER 6.
CALL ANN MCFALL, THE SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS IN NSB AT 423-3311, OR GO TO HER WEB SITE AND REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT. CONTACT THE CITY CLERK, JANIS LOWRY, AT THE AOB TO OBTAIN QUALIFICATION PAPERS IF YOU WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE, AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO. COMPLETE AND RETURN THE NECESSARY PAPERS WITH THE REQUIRED FEES NO LATER THAN NOON ON SEPTEMBER 6.
TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE. IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH OF YOUR CURRENT ELECTED OFFICIALS, YOU CAN REPLACE THREE OF THEM IN NOVEMBER. VOTE, AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO VOTE
SALLY'S NON-WEB PAGE
One expected candidate for Mayor, Sally MacKay, has paid for a web page for the past several months and not put one thing on it as of July 26, 2007. OK, it is not hard to figure out why. Ms. MacKay has a close relationship with Randy Richenberg and Lynn Plaskett, and you can be sure the three of them will vote to support the Union requested pay increase. If you believe Cindy Richenberg is overpaid given that she is only a fire department lieutenant union member, think of what will happen if Sally MacKay, who is in lock step with them, is Mayor. Count the 7% pay raise this year for fire department personnel as in the bag and kiss goodbye to any chance of reforming pay scales, increasing pension contributions, and reducing the 3% times years of service to determine the excessive pension after 25 years. The fire department personnel are hardly down trodden masses that need to be rescued from oppressive poverty with yet another unwarranted raise.
As for Cindy Richenberg, her pension will be 75% of $91,880 for the last three years she has worked (if she retires after 25 years). This is using a five year average for a pension take home at current value of somewhere $65,000 to $70,000, even if there is no increase in pay for the next two years. If she works two additional years she gets $81,000 of the almost $92,000. Hey folks, that is $81,000 annual income for life for someone probably under 50 years old. We are convinced that Sally will not state that she is for a wage freeze, much less a return to sanity by requiring fire department personnel to contribute 8% of their salary to the pension fund and that the multiplier factor for pensions should be reduced 3% to 2%. Sally, even if you agree to freeze salaries this year, Cindy Richenberg will realize an increase each year for the next three years as the lowest year is replace by a high year. Her pension as a retiree will probably be more than 98% of the current salaries paid to current employees working for the New Smyrna Beach government and most other governments in Florida.
Sally MacKay may as well be called a card carrying union member. Plaskett has never seen an employee raise that she did not considered justified, and those who follow these things believe that the only reason Cindy Richenberg is the fire department's designated Public Information Officer is as a gratuity to her husband Commissioner. Sally put on your web site that you at least think this extra $13,000 cost to the city (about $7000 salary and $6000 benefits) is unjustified.
The absence of a program on her web site is most likely because she does not want to take a public position that might expose her as an honorary union member and apologist. That is OK, and if she thinks that is a winning platform, we would applaud her for running a real election on that issue. Our problem is not taking a position, just like none of the current elected officials have taken a position. Do not hold your breath waiting for her to state publically that Cindy Richenberg's salary is unfair to the taxpayer. Sally, as well as her supporters, is union through and through. That is OK too. So are teachers and policeman, and they do not have the kind of sweetheart contract negotiated by the fire department. We hope she will take a position to curb these fire department pay excesses since that will make her a better candidate. We have suggested that she change her campaign manager and treasurer to build a better image for her candidacy. We think that running on a reform and cut the spending platform will be of benefit to her candidacy.
