Article published June 05, 2009
Grants to save some Toledo police jobs
By IGNAZIO MESSINA
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Toledo will be able to call back some of its laid-off police officers soon with state and federal grant money, Police Chief Mike Navarre said Thursday in a memo to Mayor Carty Finkbeiner obtained by The Blade.
The city has received word it will get $292,656 from State Attorney General Richard Cordray and $401,253 from its share of a $573,219 federal Justice Assistance Grant awarded to Lucas County.
"The grant from the attorney general must be used to recall 14 officers which will allow us to reinstate the 14 officers in our school resource officer program," the chief said in his memo to the mayor.
The mayor laid off 75 officers on May 1 to help close a multimillion dollar shortfall predicted for 2009 because of skyrocketing unemployment and falling city income tax revenue. The layoffs were ordered in the midst of tense contract negotiations between the city and the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association.
Chief Navarre said the grant is traditionally used for police equipment or technology; however, the federal government this year made an exception and is allowing the funds to be used to recall laid-off officers.
He suggested the city combine the grant money along with $198,030 in reimbursements from the Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools."The total amount of money to be utilized is $891,939," the chief wrote. "In each of these options, I have used $5,078 as the monthly cost for one officer … based on an anticipated cost savings to the city of $3,047,089 from the layoff of 75 police officers on May 1st."
The chief offered the mayor four options:
•Use the grant money from the attorney general, the school reimbursement dollars, and recall 14 officers on June 15, using the JAG money for police equipment and vehicles.
•Use both grants and the school reimbursement dollars to recall 27 officers on June 15.
•Use both grants and school reimbursement dollars and recall 29 officers on July 1.
•Use both grants and school reimbursement dollars and recall 35 officers on Aug. 1.
"My recommendation would be to utilize Option 2 and recall 27 officers effective Monday, June 15," the chief wrote.
The police department started 2009 with 639 sworn officers and is down to 537 after layoffs, retirements, resignations, and terminations. Chief Navarre said he anticipates 40 more retirements by the end of the year.
Robert Reinbolt, the mayor's chief of staff, said yesterday he would recommend that the mayor not recall any of the laid-off officers until the city concludes its contract talks with the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association.
"Why would you want to hire some officers back with this grant money and then have to lay off some because we don't have enough concessions?" he said. "We are looking under every rock and with every agency to get money because we are all for keeping every police [officer] and firefighter on the streets."
The number of police officers scheduled to be laid off May 1 was originally 150, but was cut to 75 by Mayor Finkbeiner.
The change allowed the city to keep its gang task force and SWAT teams intact and keep more detectives from being shifted to regular street patrol.
Mr. Reinbolt said the Finkbeiner administration is still hoping for a federal bailout in the form of a $34 million "Cops Hiring Grant."
The mayor previously said that would allow the city to recall the 75 laid-off officers and hire 75 additional police officers.
"We have heard the amount requested far exceeds what's available," Mr. Reinbolt said.
Dan Wagner, TPPA president, said the new grant money was both good news and bad news.
"I'm hoping this grant money doesn't jeopardize our [federal] stimulus grant funding," he said.
Mr. Wagner also said he hopes the mayor would not "hold the laid-off officers, in addition to the citizens of Toledo, hostage," by not using the grant fund money immediately to recall laid-off police officers.
Meanwhile yesterday, the city released confidential memos dated March 23 and March 24 between the mayor and the chief in which Mr. Finkbeiner told Chief Navarre to alter his comments about how the layoff of 75 police officers would impact the city.
The chief in a March 23 memo said the loss of 75 officers - particularly 60 patrol officers - would "have a major impact on the operation of the police department."
Chief Navarre also pointed out that response times would be slower, gang violence could increase, and property crimes would not be investigated.
Mr. Finkbeiner responded the next day, ordering the chief to rewrite the memo "without making it sound like the roof is falling in."
Later that day, Chief Navarre responded - refusing to follow the mayor's request.
"It was not my intention to make it sounds like 'the roof is falling in,'" Chief Navarre wrote. "It was my intent to advise you of the consequences of laying off 75 police officers prior to the summer of 2009. I would be remiss if I did not do so."
Mr. Reinbolt suggested the TPPA leaked the memos to the media to impact ongoing labor talks between the city and the police union in which the city is asking for wage and benefit concessions.
"The city of Toledo is in serious discussions with TPPA and a fact-finder," Mr. Reinbolt said in a statement.
"As they have done since day one of our discussions, the union chooses to publicize private discussions, private memos, and any and all material that they believe will compromise the integrity of the discussions."
He said if the police patrolmen's union had "showed the leadership [that] Local 7 did, 75 layoffs would not have occurred."
Local 7 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees in January accepted a three-year contract that freezes salaries for two years while accepting concessions, including higher co-pays for health care and agreeing to pay a greater share of employee pension contributions.
The Finkbeiner administration is seeking from the police union a one-year, 10 percent pay cut, an end to the practice of the city paying the employee's share of pension contributions, and wants police to pay part of the cost of their health care.
The employee's share of the pension the city now pays is on top of the employer's contribution of 19.5 percent.
The union balked at the proposed givebacks, accusing the city of low-balling its revenue forecasts.
The dispute is holding up resolution on the city's 2009 budget deficit - which now stands at about $15 million.
Until the union agrees to concessions, Toledo City Council has refused to act on the mayor's proposals for higher revenue - a trash fee increase and a 50 percent cut to the tax credit for Toledoans working outside the city.
The city is also negotiating with the Toledo Police Command Officers Association; Local 92 Firefighters; AFSCME Local 2058
Supervisors, and Local 7 Communication Operators.
Permanent Link
|
|
 |
|
VIEW: 
Search
advertisement
