Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, 1/15/13. "Financing City Services Task Force examines expenditures."
.... "Task force chair Bruce Banco asked how many employees take the "cafeteria cash" option from the city. Ann Ritzma, director of administrative services, said about one third to one fourth of the employees take that. Many more employees have moved into the medical plan option; many of those are paying $500 a month for the coverage.
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| Solidarity from London (just kidding) |
.... In February, City Council will revisit the half-year cuts made to agencies -- Pacifica Community Television, Resource Center, library hours, police staffing, visitors center and swim team -- to see if those groups will face a year-long cut.
One member of the public, Hal Bohner, addressed the task force to implore them to consider the economic ramifications of the proposed highway widening and to ask Caltrans what its plans are for the businesses that will be affected.
Note: The Financing City Services information meeting was held Wednesday, January 9th. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, January 30, 6 pm, community room, Pacifica Police Station." Read article.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
24 comments:
And just how much $$$$ is all that cafeteria cash? Glad Banco brought it up again. This dirty little secret was supposed to be chipped away at in new contracts. 40 or 50 employees taking a $1000 month in cash-in-lieu of benefits (council is still doing this) would be nearly half a million in extra payroll. Even at half those numbers it's still a quarter million dollars minimum. What a generous deal in a broke-ass town! Is this why we aren't seeing those payroll numbers come down despite council's bragging about all the big cuts? What's the accounting on this? Starts out as benefit cost but when an employee takes the cash it becomes taxable income for them and more payroll for the city. C'mon Ritzma, put a number on it! So what if council is embarassed. You didn't really want to be city manager, did ya? If you and the gang haven't been struck by lightening yet, why worry...just put a number on it!
Setting up a group called financing city services with the public means no one at city hall knows how to climb out of the massive hole the city is in.
The city is months away from Bankruptcy.
It's massive alright and council and senior staff know it. They're part of it. Part of the mess. No way to climb out so they just putter around trying to stay afloat. And keep their spot on the gravy train. This 5 year task force is just part of the business called government. Involve the citizenry, keep them busy, tell them they're partners, and maybe they won't get as angry. Bankruptcy would be a real solution so we can be pretty sure it's not on the agenda anytime soon. We're still paying our bills and taxes can still be put on the ballot. Our decline will just go on and on.
How much is this chronically insolvent city paying out in cafeteria cash? How hard can it be to answer that? No problem with city emps and council taking benefits they need but taking cash instead is a luxury we can't afford. This rip-off was supposed to end for council and be phased out through new contracts with employees. Sneaky way the unions and the city pay employees more than the stated salary. How much?
The city is hush hush about any contract negotiations and they hide behind the law just as they did with outsourcing. But they don't mind announcing cuts to the Resource Center. Tribune needs to cover this sheet.
Hutch, that's how council and senior staff manipulate us. To soften us up for the tax measures that have always been the real Plan for Pacifica of these tax and spenders they threaten programs and services that matter to us. Oh were so sorry, sob, sob, but if you don't give us more money we're going to have to make these cuts and it'll be your fault. While they keep stuffing their pockets with cash, fat pensions, and other benefits. Disgusting leeches.
Hal Bohner, the guy from Vallemar who thinks he is going to fight and sue Caltrans.
The guy who helped the hippies and nobees bankrupt the city.
The guy who is Bray's buddy
Bohner will have plenty of friends to help and we're not talking about people/agencies in Pacifica.
Prepare for a long, drawn out battle.
Meanwhile, right now, this city continues spiraling down. Keep your wallet handy.
Puhlease you people. No questions.
Don't insult our new pro-growth council with questions about salaries and benefits and plans, and all that. Trust them. This is the honeymoon period. There was an unofficial declaration, wasn't there? They're going to take care of us. You wait and see.
This council will fail due to the lack of money.
Why do you think Steve Rhodes, is jumping off the sinking ship?
To clarify when I say "council" has kept us in the dark on wages and negotiations I'm talking the council of the last 10 years. And namely the enviro nut-cases that controlled it. Let's hope this new council will be open and more fair.
The only difference between the previous Council and the current one are two new people - less than a majority. So if the "enviro nut-cases" controlled the previous council, that must include either Mary Ann Nihart or Len Stone. Which is it?
6:28, 10+ years city council: Vreeland, DeJarnatt, Lancelle, Digre.
That council ended 2 years ago.
Don't be a chump. None of the veterans on council get a passing grade on transparency and it remains to be seen what we have with Ervin and O'Neill. All of the veterans have been and are part of the problem. And this move towards more sub-committees and consultants is not going to result in transparency. The Jim Vreeland playbook is in use. And with the exception of Stone, they all take their extremely generous share of Pacifica's dwindling cash. How do you lead for change when you're part of the problem?
Enviro nutcases or just nutcases--either way we are so screwed.
Timing is so imprtant, and Mr. Rhodes probably can't wait to lose his bonehead bosses, but it makes more sense that Mr. Rhodes is leaving now because he has recently qualified for his CalPers pension which will supplement his pension from his earlier public employment in Oregon. Lots of out-of-staters like to finish their careers in CA because of CalPers. What? You didn't know we really are the Golden State?
Yep Dejarnette Digre and Vreeland kissed NIMBY ass for 10+ years. This is the first council in over 20 years that is not dominated by enviro-nut hippies. Sue Digre is the only one left and she is discovering her irrelevance. They just skipped her over for mayor and booted her off the economic development committee.
Hey, I love symbolism as much as anyone--out with the old and in with the, uh, not as old. Fingers crossed.
"New council"? Three of them look really familiar. And the two new faces aren't so new either. Couple of tax and spenders from the school board. Come home to roost with the rest of the flock? Oh yes those 4 tax and spenders are going to get a lot done...to your pocket. Stone will be odd man out and if he's not careful, irrelevant. This is our new council.
while they're setting up committees and such how about dumping the entire planning commish and recruiting a new one?
that would really mean something was changing. for real.
when was the last pc mmeting? couple months ago?
I second that Anon 10:16, Dump the old planning commish and appoint some pro growth people. Only problem is nobody is volunteering.
No one is applying? Are you simply speculating or did someone whisper this handy excuse in your ear? Maybe no one is applying because council hasn't publicly retired the current commish and run the recruitment ad for new commissioners? Why isn't this being done openly, if as you say "no one is applying"? Hand-picked commissions, now where have we seen that before?
@1216 you blowing smoke or just being used?...maybe if council made the process open and public they could get some volunteers. You know, actually and publicly dismiss the current crew thank you very much, maybe add development to the commission banner, run ads in the Trib, announce it at council mtgs, etc.
I'd hate to think those days of council secretly hand-picking commission members aren't really over. Or, perish the thought, we still lack the political will to really change Pacifica. Time will tell.
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