News

By Margie Plunkett

    Retirement, holiday and emergency-duty bonuses are now official policy for Ocean Ridge, formalized after years of tradition — and considerable current discussion.
    Two recently retired police officers became the first awarded bonuses under the policy.
Commissioners approved the policy and granted officers Doc Darville and Dan Tinfina retirement bonuses at their Dec. 5 meeting — but not before an extended discussion on cash vs. token gifts, bonus criteria and employee evaluations, among other issues.
    “I think we should have a policy in place,” Commissioner Lynn Allison said. “It’s unthinkable that someone like Doc work here for 20 years” and not be recognized with a bonus.
    All employees are eligible for the bonuses, but that doesn’t mean all receive it, said Town Attorney Ken Spillias.
The bonuses are not an entitlement: They are always at the discretion of the commission, he added, explaining that for whatever reason — including the town’s ability to pay, the lawmakers have the leeway to choose not to give bonuses.
    While the bonus does not require a performance evaluation, the supervisor must prepare an analysis to determine if the criteria have been met, he said. The commission has the option to agree or disagree.
    For the retirement bonuses, the employee must have been with the town for at least 20 years. Darville and Tinfina, who both met the minimum, were awarded the customary $100 per year of service.
    Ocean Ridge’s police officers are involved with their first collective bargaining. Spillias offered commissioners the guidance that the bargaining unit members should also be eligible for bonuses because they can’t be treated differently in a way that could be perceived as either favoring or penalizing them.
    The bonus for emergency duty would require performance well above the call of duty in a hurricane or other emergency.
    Commissioner Zoanne Hennigan, a former human resources executive at Intel, wanted criteria detailed for bonuses, a consistent employee evaluation system and a gift instead of a cash bonus.
    “This is the policy, not the implementation,” Spillias pointed out.
    Mayor Ken Kaleel said he could understand Hennigan’s concern about the implementation, “but that’s the next step.”
    Hennigan also said, “I have a problem with the retirement bonus.” She explained that every year, the town contributes $10,000 to $12,000 per officer to the Florida retirement system. “I don’t mean to be unsympathetic, but we’ve been giving them a heck of a lot of money and don’t think we should give them a bonus.”
    While fellow commissioners told her the town manager would be responsible for developing a detailed implementation plan after policy was set, Hennigan stuck with her lone “no” vote.
    During the public comment portion of the meeting, Bob Ganger of Gulf Stream detailed benefits of a community holiday fund.
In Gulf Stream, the fund is set up through the civic association as a way for the community to thank employees by contributing money anonymously.
The fund is split among the town employees as a bonus.
    “The gift is very material. For the lesser[-paid] people they say this is how we make our holidays happen,” Ganger said. “It’s a classic example of how to say thank you without getting yourself in hot water.”
    The community gift “has its own set of issues,” Kaleel later said. “I saw the ugly side of what they’re talking about [when Ocean Ridge residents discussed starting a civic association]. Right now I don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about it.”