retirement benefits

So the paper just advised that Miramar will no longer offer medical benefits to new hires and will reduce benefits to those already employed... sounds pretty drastic,. how is this going to affect most of the police dept?

Miramar ends retiree health benefits for new hires
Decision expected to save $1.5 million over five years
By Jennifer Gollan | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
June 12, 2008


MIRAMAR - Responding to the burgeoning cost of retiree health benefits for municipal workers, Miramar on Wednesday joined a growing list of cities no longer offering the perk to new hires.

"It is something that we are more or less forced to do," Commissioner Troy Samuels said after Tuesday night's vote. "Eventually, all other cities in the county are going to have to follow similar measures as they react to property tax reform."

The policy change follows a South Florida Sun-Sentinel analysis of the ballooning cost of retiree health benefits. In Broward County, as of six weeks ago, 19 municipalities offered those benefits to new hires or officials, or both, at a cost of more than $11 million this fiscal year.

Pembroke Pines and Dania Beach have stopped offering the retiree benefits to some or all new hires. Plantation suspended benefits for elected officials retiring after December 1995.

Now Coconut Creek, Sunrise and Hollywood are considering following suit.

"We have asked for concessions from the unions for existing employees and for new hires," said Raelin Storey, a Hollywood spokeswoman.

Sunrise Deputy Mayor Roger Wishner said he will request a thorough review of employee perks this month.

"It is a long-term burden. Based on the long-term decreases in revenue, we have to look at every penny we can save," he said. "The days of giving money away through these agreements are over."

Sagging property values and voter-mandated tax reform are forcing all cities to scrutinize their budgets, looking for ways to trim.

In Miramar's case, the 2008-09 spending plan will be 9 percent leaner than this year's $102 million general fund budget. It faces a $7 million hit from tax reform and declines in property tax revenue.

The city's decision to cut benefits, approved unanimously by the commission, is expected to save about $1.5 million over five years, Samuels said. In addition to not offering retiree health insurance benefits to new hires, the city decided current employees no longer will accumulate credit for retiree health benefits. Government watchdogs lauded the benefit cutbacks.

"It is long overdue," said Dominic Calabro, president of Florida TaxWatch, a nonprofit government watchdog based in Tallahassee that supports slicing the benefits. "Because we have had substantial liabilities in these cities, levels of services had to be compromised to pay these excessive employee benefits."

Broward municipalities that have no plans to eliminate the benefits for new hires include Cooper City, Coral Springs, Hillsboro Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lighthouse Point, Margate, North Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, West Park and Weston.

Some officials argue that retiree benefits attract more-qualified workers.

"Our city has some of the best department heads and employees in the state, and I believe these benefits help attract them," Coconut Creek Mayor Becky Tooley said. "Can we keep it up forever? I don't know, but I would like to try as long as we can."

Miramar will spend about $275,585 this fiscal year to provide 51 retirees with health benefits. But city commissioners said it would be too costly in the future, given longer life expectancies, escalating health insurance premiums and a new accounting rule requiring local governments to disclose the value of health benefits for active employees and retirees.

As part of the cost-cutting package, commissioners also voted to require employees with take-home vehicles to reimburse the city for the gas they use for personal trips. Police and fire employees are exempted. The measure is expected to save the city as much as $60,000 annually.

"This was just one of the many painful cuts in the crisis that we are finding ourselves in," Commissioner Carl Lanke said.

Jennifer Gollan can be reached at jgollan@sun- sentinel.com or 954-385-7920.

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Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

So the paper just advised that Miramar will no longer offer medical benefits to new hires and will reduce benefits to those already employed... sounds pretty drastic,. how is this going to affect most of the police dept?

that applies to other city workers not police i believe

So the paper just advised that Miramar will no longer offer medical benefits to new hires and will reduce benefits to those already employed... sounds pretty drastic,. how is this going to affect most of the police dept?

It DOES NOT affect police and fire! We have negotiated thru our union this only applies to non union employees in upper level management positions (command staff, city officials etc.)

So the paper just advised that Miramar will no longer offer medical benefits to new hires and will reduce benefits to those already employed... sounds pretty drastic,. how is this going to affect most of the police dept?

that applies to other city workers not police i believe


I wonder if the city commission will reduce their health benefits? They get a real nice perk for 1 term.

They dont talk about the money wasted on the commissioners in the news. I wonder if many people know about their perks???????

Why not research what exactly the commissioners get and list it here,.. I would love to know what they get for 1 lousy term in a city commission
They dont talk about the money wasted on the commissioners in the news. I wonder if many people know about their perks???????

They get a lifetime pension and health insurance coverage for free. Our Chief get free insurance as well and a lifetime pension and he does not even have to put in 20 like us.

How is it fair that the same ones who make 160K to 200K a year and work part time at best get all the extra benefits we have to scrap to buy a home to live close enough to get to work on time. Not to mention we are the ones risking our lives so they can get to City Hall to pick up their pay checks safely.





Why not research what exactly the commissioners get and list it here,.. I would love to know what they get for 1 lousy term in a city commission
They dont talk about the money wasted on the commissioners in the news. I wonder if many people know about their perks???????

What you guys need to do is expose how the City Manager just sneaked thru a $250,000 back pay item on the last agenda. The commission is blind. While we layoff cops and have no money. The man has no shame.

What you guys need to do is expose how the City Manager just sneaked thru a $250,000 back pay item on the last agenda. The commission is blind. While we layoff cops and have no money. The man has no shame.

Actually it wansyt "sneeked" by they had it on the agenda and they discussed it they know what they voted for. And when did we start laying off cops? Maybe you have mistaken the ones that got fired.

Yeah they did layoff cops. The ones that were not hired yet. We had many positions to fill that were cut. If they had been hired they would have been laid off. So sick of all the white collar workers and commisioner getting paid 6 digits for nothing. Nevermind all the money wasted on retirement and benifits. This city is is lost in its own world. When channel 7 going to do a story on all the money wasted around here?

Yeah they did layoff cops. The ones that were not hired yet. We had many positions to fill that were cut. If they had been hired they would have been laid off. So sick of all the white collar workers and commisioner getting paid 6 digits for nothing. Nevermind all the money wasted on retirement and benifits. This city is is lost in its own world. When channel 7 going to do a story on all the money wasted around here?

Someone needs to call help me Howard. With all the money they waste on themsleves we coule hire and give better benefits to officer now and not cut off the working peoples insurance.