low pay - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T23:00:15Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/low+paySouth Palm Beach: South Palm approves merger deal with sheriffhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-south-palm-approves-merger-deal-with-sheriff-12019-07-03T17:12:41.000Z2019-07-03T17:12:41.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett </strong></p>
<p> After running its own police department for more than a half-century, the town of South Palm Beach has decided to join forces with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.<br /> The Town Council voted 4-1 on June 18 to approve a draft contract for services with the sheriff that would begin on Oct. 1 and run for 10 years. Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan voted against the merger agreement, saying she wanted to see the final version of the contract before considering approval.<br /> “I just hope everybody is happy with us moving forward in this town,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “It was a big step but I think it’s going to be good.”<br /> Interim Town Manager Robert Kellogg told the council the deal could save the town as much as $1 million over the first five years of the contract. The terms call for the town paying the Sheriff’s Office $1.05 million for the first year, with 2 percent increases the following two years. The agreement sets a 5 percent limit on increases for the last seven years.<br /> Council members credited Kellogg and Town Attorney Glen Torcivia, who oversaw Lake Worth Beach’s switch to the Sheriff’s Office a decade ago, with negotiating the 10-year commitment, an unusually long term for interlocal law enforcement agreements.<br /> For Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, taking over South Palm Beach is a significant inroad into the county’s barrier islands. The sheriff has service contracts with 10 other municipalities, and one in the works with the newly formed Westlake community, but currently has only a limited presence along the coast.<br /> The preliminary deal, which requires final approval from the council likely at the July 23 town meeting, would cut South Palm Beach’s department from eight uniformed officers to seven deputies. Police Chief Mark Garrison would stay on as a sheriff’s sergeant with administrative duties, and six of the town’s officers would be considered for the remaining positions in the restructured force. <br /> “You’ll see the same people here,” sheriff’s Col. Tony Araujo said during a 90-minute presentation to the council. “They’ll just be wearing green uniforms instead of blue. The town doesn’t lose its identity.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960882854,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960882854,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="550" alt="7960882854?profile=original" /></a><em>Capt. David Moss of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office introduces representatives of the agency at a June 18 workshop meeting in South Palm Beach. Mary Kate Leming/The Coastal Star</em></p>
<p><br /> The draft contract does not specify which officers would be retained in the town and which might be reassigned, however. Officers would have to satisfy PBSO standards to make the transition and remain in uniform.<br /> Compensation for the town’s officers became an issue earlier this year with the release of an analysis of starting police salaries that showed South Palm ranked last among 23 agencies surveyed in the county. Starting pay with the sheriff is about $54,200 a year, compared with the town’s current $43,500. Officers also cited the opportunity for advancement in an agency with some 4,300 full-time employees as well as better benefits as reasons for switching.<br /> “Every officer here is in favor of this,” said Councilman Mark Weissman. “It would be fiscally irresponsible for the town not to do this.”<br />The difference in pay scales makes it easy to understand why South Palm Beach officers wanted to become deputies. Kellogg said the preliminary agreement calls for the sheriff to accept a year-for-year transfer of officers’ experience. An officer with 15 years’ experience in the town, for example, could be credited with 15 years’ experience with the sheriff.<br />For 18-year veteran Garrison, the move from chief to sheriff’s sergeant could mean a pay increase of some $30,000 to perhaps $115,000 per year. Experienced deputies earn $90,000 or more, meaning several of the town’s officers could receive raises of $20,000 or more.<br /> Weissman, who joined the council in March, championed the sheriff’s deal. Two decades ago when he was a city commissioner in Parkland, he persuaded the community to merge its department with the Broward County sheriff’s.<br /> Councilman Bill LeRoy also was an outspoken supporter of the move.<br /> “You don’t take care of your people, you’re going to lose them,” LeRoy said, “They came to us and this is what they want.”<br /> Weissman and LeRoy also made the case that merging with the sheriff would limit the town’s liability issues. The size of the agency and its budget safeguard South Palm from possible legal issues if something goes wrong.<br /> “This is a no-brainer,” LeRoy said. “It’s definitely the way to go.”</p></div>South Palm Beach: Sheriff’s unscheduled presentation to council brings objectionshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-sheriff-s-unscheduled-presentation-to-council-br2019-05-29T16:00:00.000Z2019-05-29T16:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related Story: Lantana <a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-lantana-declines-invitation-to-bid-on-policing-south-palm" target="_blank">declines invitation</a> to bid on policing South Palm</strong></p>
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<p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>South Palm Beach council members say they’re determined to get their debate over police services back on track after a raucous council meeting raised complaints and divisions about process and agendas.<br /> Mayor Bonnie Fischer said the Town Council was caught off guard when a half-dozen representatives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and police union showed up for the council’s May 14 meeting.<br /> “We were surprised,” Fischer said. “We didn’t know the Sheriff’s Office was coming.”<br /> Surprises aside, council members voted 4-0 (with Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb absent because of illness) to allow Frank DeMario, the sheriff’s chief of law enforcement operations, to make a 20-minute presentation on what his agency could offer South Palm Beach if it took over policing.<br /> DeMario’s appearance and presentation were not advertised in the town’s agenda for the meeting. To promote transparency and public participation, the state’s Sunshine guidelines recommend that municipal commissions give adequate notice when substantial issues are brought up for discussion. <br /> That didn’t happen, and Fischer said that was a mistake. Kevin Hall, property manager of the Palmsea Condominiums, agreed.<br /> “I appreciate you looking into this,” he told the council. “However, I’m highly insulted that you did this tonight. Everybody’s been watching the agendas. Nobody’s here who should be here. This shouldn’t have happened.”<br /> Joe Savarese, president of the Horizon West condo association, urged the council to slow down.<br /> “I kind of object to the guys trying to push this through,” he said. “I support our police. I don’t want them to leave. But we can’t do it on the spur of the moment. Everybody has to have input.”<br /> Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan agreed: “The meeting wasn’t handled right. That shouldn’t have happened.”<br /> Fischer said the council is a long way from making a decision and was merely “seeking information.” But nonetheless, the public should have been informed, she said.<br /> Council members have been considering options for police service since the town’s eight officers came forward two months ago and supported merging with the Sheriff’s Office. Under state law, police mergers are possible only for contiguous jurisdictions — meaning South Palm’s options are the sheriff and the towns of Palm Beach and Lantana.<br /> The council ruled out Palm Beach, citing recent reports of turmoil within the department. Lantana has ruled out South Palm Beach, voting against expanding the department.<br /> Newly seated Councilman Mark Weissman has been pushing efforts to negotiate a deal with the Sheriff’s Office. Weissman cites the town’s pay scale, which puts officers at the bottom in Palm Beach County, and safety concerns because of the department’s small size. He said the town recently went unprotected for four hours when two of its officers were called to Lantana to respond to an incident there.<br /> “We have many shifts where we only have one person on,” Weissman said, “and there’s been times when we have nobody here.”<br /> He said the council needs to move quickly to make a decision.<br /> “I believe the town has a responsibility to our officers to let them know what our intentions are,” Weissman said. “We can’t continue to kick that can down the road.”<br /> Councilman Bill LeRoy also has called for action, proposing a $10,500 yearly raise for each officer in the department.<br /> “Our police officers are very poorly paid,” LeRoy said. “I proposed the raise before the Sheriff’s Office even came into view. The $10,500 would take us from last to sixth in the county.”<br /> Jordan thinks the pay issue is overstated. “For our size town and what we ask our officers to do, our salaries are pretty good,” she said. “This is a cushy position, so to speak.”<br /> Town Manager Robert Kellogg said he is working on a five-year police budget projection with the town’s accountant. Kellogg said the estimates will be available soon and will help the council compare costs with merger proposals from other agencies.<br /> The council intends to discuss the police issue again at a workshop scheduled for 4 p.m. June 18, followed by the regular council meeting at 6 p.m.<br /> “This is not just about money,” Fischer said. “This is a change to something we’ve had for 50 years. That’s what people are concerned about.”</p></div>Lantana: Lantana declines invitation to bid on policing South Palmhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-lantana-declines-invitation-to-bid-on-policing-south-palm2019-05-29T16:00:00.000Z2019-05-29T16:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related Story: South Palm Beach: Sheriff’s <a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-sheriff-s-unscheduled-presentation-to-council-br" target="_blank">unscheduled presentation</a> to council brings objections</strong></p>
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<p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>Lantana Town Council members are very pleased with the state of their Police Department. <br /> So pleased, in fact, that most of them don’t even want to consider expanding it into another community.<br /> It took the council less than 15 minutes during the May 13 town meeting to turn down an invitation from South Palm Beach to take a look at providing police services for the town.<br /> The vote was 3-2 against exploring the expansion. Councilmen Lynn Moorhouse, Ed Shropshire and Phil Aridas voted no. Mayor Dave Stewart and Vice Mayor Malcolm Balfour voted yes, believing the idea was at least worth examining. <br /> “It adds depth of service, and that’s the whole thing about adding more employees,” Stewart said of a potential expansion. “It actually costs our town no additional money — just like we do with Hypoluxo. I personally would like to see us go forward, but the consensus is to not even give them a proposal.”<br /> With 33 sworn officers, Lantana’s department also provides police services for the 2,800 residents of neighboring Hypoluxo. But Moorhouse said he was “very neutral” on expanding further outside the town limits, without support for the idea from Police Chief Sean Scheller.<br /> “If there’s any hesitation from our Police Department,” Moorhouse said, “I don’t want to go into this. I respect them 100 percent. They’re doing a great job. If they’re happy where they are right now, I don’t want this.”<br /> Scheller, who has been chief for seven years, said his department is in a good place right now, though he took neither side in the debate.<br /> “I am perfectly content with the Police Department that we have,” Scheller said. “There are pros and cons to expanding. If you want to explore it we can, but I like the level of service that we provide to our residents.”<br /> Aridas said he was concerned that South Palm Beach officers had been outspoken in expressing their desire to merge with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office — not Lantana.<br /> “Why would we want to take disgruntled employees into our grips?” Aridas asked. “To make an employee happy is hard enough. To bring them in when they’re not happy is twice the battle.”<br /> Town Manager Deborah Manzo said she believed the call from South Palm Beach was worth considering because it offered the town a rare chance to add an asset for the long run.<br /> “I think you want to look long-term because this opportunity is not going to come up too often,” Manzo told the council. “And it could be something that in the future might be good for the town.”<br /> In other business, the town got a clean bill of financial health from its auditing firm, Grau & Associates of Boca Raton. The auditors’ annual report found no deficiencies, made no recommendations for changes and commended the town’s staff for high levels of professionalism and cooperation, Grau partner Racquel McIntosh told the council.</p></div>South Palm Beach: Sheriff, Lantana considered for police servicehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-sheriff-lantana-considered-for-police-service2019-05-01T17:30:00.000Z2019-05-01T17:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>As one, the eight police officers in South Palm Beach have come forward and asked the Town Council to allow their department to join forces with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.<br /> Council members say they are surprised. And they are listening.<br /> “As a town, we can’t be afraid to look into other options,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “We can’t put blinders on.”<br /> Councilman Mark Weissman said the town has an obligation to listen when an entire department comes forward and speaks with one voice.<br /> “One hundred percent of the officers want this,” Weissman said. “This isn’t 30 percent or 50 percent — but 100 percent.”<br /> The council unanimously voted on April 9 to invite both the Sheriff’s Office and the Lantana Police Department to make presentations about a possible takeover. Fischer said the presentations would be “educational” for the council and could be scheduled before summer.<br /> Under state law, only contiguous jurisdictions can consider contracting for police services. For South Palm Beach, that means the sheriff, Lantana and the town of Palm Beach are the options.<br /> Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan insisted that the Lantana department be considered along with the sheriff so the town could compare proposals. Fischer and Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb voted with Jordan to include Lantana.<br /> By consensus, the council decided to exclude Palm Beach from consideration, citing recent media reports of turmoil within the department.<br /> Councilman Bill LeRoy said contracting with another agency would allow the town to keep the officers it now has, a group residents have praised.<br /> “We’re not trying to get rid of anybody,” LeRoy said. “They suggested this out of the blue to us. They want to go to the Sheriff’s Office. That’s what they want. They have a lot of advantages if they go. It’ll change their lives.”<br /> The town’s police contract became an issue in recent weeks after Police Benevolent Association representatives released a survey of salaries in Palm Beach County that showed South Palm ranked last among 23 agencies, with a starting salary of $43,500 — well below Boca Raton’s $66,168 at the top of the list and the county’s average starting pay of $50,237.<br /> Police salaries have risen sharply throughout South Florida in the aftermath of last year’s mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. To beef up staffing, sheriff’s offices and school police departments have hired away officers from small municipalities, driving up pay scales across the board.</p>
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<p>Weissman, a former longtime resident in Parkland who served on its City Commission, said South Palm Beach likely would have to stretch its budget to the breaking point to raise officers’ pay and maintain its own department.<br /> “You’re talking about a $10,000 increase just to get us into the top pack of municipalities,” he said of the salary gap. “We can’t afford as a small town what can be provided by a larger operation. We could never afford it.”<br /> Weissman and other council members worry about staffing problems that affect officer safety. With six road officers, a chief and a sergeant, the department sometimes has only one officer on duty during weekends and nights, with no backup.<br /> Fischer said police work has grown more dangerous, even in small towns.<br /> “It’s a different world out there — not like it was 20 years ago,” she said. “We have liability as a police department.”<br /> In other business, the council voted 4-1 (with Jordan dissenting) to have earlier meeting hours for the summer. Starting on May 14 and continuing through September, the town’s regular meetings will be held the second Tuesday of each month, beginning at 6 p.m. Workshops are to be scheduled as needed at 4 p.m. before the regular meetings.</p></div>