Shamokin chief of police critical of city finance suggestions
By Eric Scicchitano, The News-Item, Shamokin, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"It's ridiculous to say 'eliminate a shift.' There's no way we could ever have one man on a shift. It's a safety issue and it's ridiculous,"
The suggestion was one of many included in an Early Intervention Plan prepared by financial advisers as part of
When council members meet during a special meeting at
Reached Friday, Mayor
Wages and benefits across all departments consumed between 80 percent and 90 percent of
Asked if he believed the city's current revenue structure could support the wages and benefits of union employees, Griffiths said, "If you manage it correctly, yes."
The police union contract expired at the start of the year. It remains in place until a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified. There is a mandate that a minimum of two officers work each of three shifts seven days a week. The advisers suggest if that cannot be lowered to reduce employee costs, council should review crime data and consider eliminating the least active shift.
Safety concerns
Consideration has to be given to
"It won't only put the taxpayers in jeopardy, it will put the officers and their families in jeopardy," Griffiths said, adding that he believes liability insurance would also increase.
At full complement, the police department has 14 full-time officers. It now stands at 11 following a trio of retirements -- Detective
"Where did it go? Where's the money?" He asked.
The 11 officers total a combined 152 years on the job. According to city hall, they were paid
The higher actual payout is a result of overtime and, more so, compensatory time earned by and paid to the officers as per the terms of their existing union contract. Those costs for all departments in the city are suggested by the financial advisers to be reduced.
Add in benefits calculated by
The health insurance plan for the police is the same that had been offered to city council members and the solicitor and controller. That benefit was not offered for those officials in 2014.
Other suggestions for the police department include selling off any unused vehicles in the police department's seven-vehicle fleet -- the same suggestion that was made of the public works department. Griffiths said that won't work since the newer vehicles will endure increased wear-and-tear as a result and perhaps need to be replaced sooner.
Regionalizing police services with neighboring
Nothing about mismanagement
Griffiths criticized the plan because, as he sees it, it lays all of the blame on city employees and a diminished tax base and fails to address any mismanagement in city hall.
City council members were eligible for the same health benefits as union employees up until it was eliminated from the 2014 budget, Griffiths pointed out. Also, he questioned a series of council-approved expenses in 2013 under the management of former City Clerk
He specifically mentioned the Reading firm's charges for advising the city in a Right to Know dispute that favored
Barley Snyder had billed the city
"Not one thing in there said anything about mismanagement," Griffiths said.
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