Tallahassee elected officials will consider approval of the collective bargaining agreement with the Big Bend Chapter of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, Inc. (PBA) at the next Tallahassee City Commission meeting on March 22.
The agenda item notes that the City of Tallahassee and the PBA have reached an agreement on contracts for the Police Officers and Investigators Bargaining Unit, and the Sergeants and Lieutenants Bargaining Unit within the parameters authorized by the City Commission.
However, City Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jack Porter have recently voiced concerns about drug testing provisions in the contract.
The new agreement contains drug testing language that has been at the center of a controversy related to the reinstatement of a police officer. The language gives the police chief discretion when an officer tests positive for a controlled substance. The language was also included in the previous agreement.
In addition, Matlow and Porter have amplified concerns voiced by City Attorney Cassandra Jackson and Treasurer Clerk Jim Cooke. Both officials indicated in emails that more time was required to provide an analysis of the amendments to the contract.
Matlow and Porter have asked that the vote scheduled for Wednesday be delayed.
In response, City spokeswoman Alison Faris stated that, the “City Commission provided guidance to the City’s negotiating team last month at an executive session held on February 22. With the negotiating teams having reached an agreement, the next steps in the process are for the union members to vote on Monday and if passed, the City Commission to ratify the agreement on Wednesday.”
Mayor John Dailey, in a press conference said, “I’m really excited where we are, and I expect it to be ratified.”
Richard Murphy, the President of the Big Bend Chapter of the Florida PBA, told TR that, “We are pleased with the process and to have reached an agreement that supports our local law enforcement officers. The next step in the process is for the union to complete its voting process today, and then we look forward to the City Commission ratifying the agreement on Wednesday.”
The agreement covers a period of three (3) years, commencing on October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2026.
The estimated three-year base cost for the wage component of the agreement is $6,139,996. In FY24, the estimated cost for the pension component of the agreements is $239,000.
The new contract would provide the following economic package:
-All bargaining unit members shall receive a salary increase in FY24.
-Officer and Investigator starting salary of $60,000.
-Step Progression annually for FY25 and FY26 for those that are eligible.
-Ave. increase of 4.2% FY25 and 3.9% FY26 for Officers and Investigators.
-Ave. increase of 4.4% FY25 and 4.3% FY26 for Sergeants.
-Ave. increase of 4.1% FY25 and 4.0% FY26 for Lieutenants.
-FY24-effective date of the increase is 10/1/2023.
Tallahassee City Commission to Consider Police Union Contract added by Steve Stewart on
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DAILEY and Goad are bypassing critical city oversight which will lead to a financial crisis within the city and there is already one with the mayor’s inability to balance the budget.
The inmates continue to run the asylum and we are now off the rails with the city manager and mayor going rogue.
Last week they bypassed the HR Director, this week it is the City Attorney and Treasurer Clerk. I believe a standoff is about to commence and Goad and Dailey have met their match.
@Dr Tuna — it’s not necessary to drug test the whole commission. I can recommend a few drugs that would benefit most of us if the commissioners imbibed — heavily… 😉
I would like to see the whole city commission drug tested before they rush to judge our boys in blue.
Scott Maddox was very, very cozy with the PBA and always enjoyed their endorsement. I believe his father Charlie founded the local police union.
Rushing this huge agreement through in record time after firing Ellen Blair, who objected to the speed use thing… seems like classic shady Maddox stuff.
Pat A. There are no more meter readers. Former mayor John Mark’s sweet deal for smart meters ring a bell?
Being a city employee is a great gig if you can get it. 3%+ raises every year, the June teenth off, election day off, all the bank holidays, good benefits and generous retirement.
David…Touche!
…more than he deserves. Cops deserve more than he “gets”.
@ Pat A……….
You said = “Royle King earns $85k.” …………………….Key word being “Earns”. Does he EARN $100K or does he Make $100K? Huge difference in my book.
Key word: “jobs” not careers.
Are these “jobs” paying $100,000.00/year? Tallahassee is an expensive city. I argue, today, $100,000.00 is the minimum income you need plus enough savings to put down 20% on a mortgage to live nicely without money worries. IMO, $400,000.00 is the minimum cost to buy a home in a nice and safe north side neighborhood. My guess is Amazon, the Airport Junkyard, construction jobs building low income housing, driving electric buses, or reading meters for Tallahassee Utilities are not those jobs. Either Tallahassee has a natural draw that attracts business without free money or it doesn’t. And by now it should be obvious to the most casual observer that our southside crime and poverty situation is perfectly acceptable to those residents. Income and property taxes are my largest monthly expense.
“corporate welfare give aways”
Keep in mind that corporations are responsible for most of the jobs, most of the personal income, and most of government tax revenue. Even the government payroll exists on the backs of the corporations that directly or indirectly fund government.
Giving a tax break to government’s “sugar daddy” is hardly welfare…
Pat A
Pet A
Exactly!
If the city would devote tax dollars toward what a government provides and not toward all the corporate welfare give aways, it wouldn’t be a problem to pay our cops more. What cops deal with every day with the constant worry the woke liberals will throw them under the bus should be a $100,000.00 a year job. Not paying TPD officers a great wage is why recruiting standards have been lowered. Take the City’s budget and first pay all the cops a salary of $100,000.00 then use what is left for running the city. And maybe there may not be enough money for electric buses, the Men and Boys club, and all the financial boondoggles. But when did those become basic government functions?
Royle King earns $85k.
Need to keep an eye on the “Three”… DAILEY, DWC, and Curtis. They bought votes with taxpayers money… the $25 million stadium giveaway, spending taxpayers money on Chamber of Commerce junkets that have no benefit to citizens, and keeping citizens held hostage with the city manager who was picked by the former corrupt regimes. Even worse the trifecta are recipients of developers monies – bundled contributions – so development projects and the environment suffers with poor construction, bypassing important environmental rules, and not adhering to aesthetic guidelines, so the oligarch continues at the expense of the quality of life of our city.
Once again an article presents some numbers, but doesn’t really “do the math”.
The three year cost of $6,139,996 is a bit more than $2M/year. The first year pension add-on is $239,000. So the real cost is nearly $2.3M/year. That should be mentioned somewhere.
I support our police. Always have. But a starting salary of $60,000 is problematic. That’s considerably more than a lot of people in the area make with years of experience in their own field. There’s already a “if I could just get a job with the state I’d be set” mentality, with entirely too many people thinking that a government job is their answer. Reinforcing that mentality is wrong. (So are the 7 pseudo-executive positions that the city feels they need to “study” giving money to local charity groups.)
And I find it curious timing, that the Democrats what to raise union salaries just in time for the presidential election cycle.
We should be drug testing CRIMINALS and not the police!!! What is wrong with our country.
Can you add one more thing……… The PBA has called me twice late last week wanting money. Make that STOP, Officers make more than I do.
Need to keep an eye on Matlow and Porter