Raises offset pay cut for retirement system

By JOSH POLTILOVE, MIKELL SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 14, 2011

TAMPA —

Hillsborough County sheriff’s employees will receive a 3.25-percent salary boost to offset a state mandate requiring them to set aside 3 percent of their salaries for retirement.

Sheriff’s employees haven’t received raises in years, and a 3 percent reduction without compensation would have affected morale and quality of life, Sheriff David Gee said.

“I wouldn’t call it a raise,” Gee said. “I don’t think it’s a raise when you’re trying to keep them at their same pay.”

County commissioners did not directly criticize Gee’s decision. But some had reservations.

“It’s their budget; but it’s taxpayers’ money,” Commission Chairman Al Higginbotham said. “I don’t feel it’s the authority of the commission to get involved in the details of their budget; that doesn’t mean we don’t pay attention.”

Commissioner Sandy Murman, a former state lawmaker, said the sheriff’s action undermines the Legislature’s intent to close the state budget deficit without raising taxes.

“When you’ve got a branch of government that is trying to impose this 3 percent reduction, you have to question, if there is an office that’s trying to circumvent that, where is the benefit to the public?” Murman said.

Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober also is considering giving his employees raises to offset the mandate to pay into the state retirement system.

“We’re studying options at this time,” said Mark Cox, a spokesman for Ober. “Our employees haven’t been given a cost of living increase in five years. Our goal is the retention of our valued employees.”

The retirement system covers not only state workers but also teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other employees of local governments. It provides benefits to 572,000 active and 319,000 retired government employees.

News that Gee had found money to offset his employees’ retirement payments was another more blow to county employees who have been battered by successive years of layoffs, furlough days and flat paychecks.

Juan Basso, president of Local 167 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said for weeks he had heard rumors that Gee would bolster his employees’ paychecks. Then, on Monday, Basso learned Hillsborough Clerk of Court Pat Frank will give her 781 employees $1,500 each in a one-time bonus using money the clerk got from a federal lawsuit settlement.

“All these raises are going around; Pat Frank and the sheriff’s office,” Basso said. “And our blue-collar workers, we don’t get any raises because they say the money is not in the budget.”

Chief Deputy Jose Docobo last week announced to sheriff’s employees that the changes will be effective June 27 – the same day they must begin paying 3 percent into the state retirement system. Deputies as well as civilian employees are affected.

Other Florida counties also are seeking to offset the shift in salary to the retirement system.

Earlier this month, when new Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco unveiled his first budget proposal, he said he hoped to address the retirement contribution change with the Pasco County Commission.

He said it costs about $100,000 to hire a deputy, including a background check and training — much more than it would cost to give existing deputies a pay increase to offset the retirement contribution.

Escambia County’s government and its sheriff are seeking 3.1 percent raises for employees who pay into the state retirement fund, as is Santa Rosa County’s sheriff, the Pensacola News Journal has reported.

State Rep. Debbie Mayfield, a Vero Beach Republican, co-sponsored the legislation mandating 3 percent of salaries for retirement. She has no problem with local government agencies deciding to give raises to employees.

“God bless them, if their taxpayers agree with what they’re doing, I can’t argue with them,” she said.

The Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office’s salary offset is for employees hired before July 1 who are members of the retirement system but have not entered into a deferred retirement options program.

Gee said he has about 3,200 sworn employees and there are about 400 sworn positions currently open. There are about 1,400 civilian employees, with about 170 open positions.

The sheriff’s proposed budget is about $370 million – roughly $130,000 more than in 2011, Gee said.