Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 01-08-13--regular — reading text

specific abuses of the system. Enacting responsible reforms to protect pensions for future generations. These are the strongest points to make to win the debate and bring people to our side of the issue. Packet Pg 134  14. 3. b PENSION REFORM ADVOCACY KIT In this messaging, we are positioned to be advocates for responsible pension reform that curbs abuse in the system and puts the system on a more stable footing for the future. The bottom line is, we support well- deserved pensions for police and firefighters that are sound, secure and sustainable - not only for current officers and firefighters, hits for those who choose to protect and serve in the future. Packet Pg, 135  14 3. b PENSION REFORM ADVOCACY KIT E SHORT VERSION: vo DRAFT RESOLUTION ON POLICE AND FIREFIGHTER PENSION AND DISABILITY PRESUMPTION REFORMS 2012- aNC A RESOLUTION OF THE [ CITY / TOWN / VILLAGE OF ] SUPPORTING POLICE OFFICER AND FIREFIGHTER PENSION PLAN AND DISABILITY PRESUMPTION REFORMS TO MAKE THE PLANS LLau_ SUSTAINABLE, SOUND AND SECURE FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE POLICE OFFICERS AND 0a FIREFIGHTERS. c Please add any additional information specific to the City/ Town /Village) WHEREAS, to honor their service now and in years to come, current and future police officers and C0a firefighters in the [ City, Town, Village of ] deserve pension plans that are sound, secure and y sustainable; and 0 WHEREAS, [ City, Town, Village of ] opposes unfunded mandates from the Florida Legislature that have created a pension plan system for city police officers and firefighters that is unstable, unsustainable 0m and unreliable for current and future police officers and firefighters; and IY WHEREAS, state level police and fire unions have exercised undue influence on the Florida Legislature 0 relating to the provision of city police officer and firefighter pensions and disability presumptions; and 0 WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature has imposed significant unfunded mandates onto the [ City, Town, q a Village] relative to the operation of the [ City' s, Town' s, Village' s] police officer and firefighter defined benefit pension plans by mandating minimum pension benefit levels and mandating the use of revenues to fund pension plan costs; and U0Nc WHEREAS, unfunded city police officer and firefighter pension mandates from the Florida Legislature result in a direct expenditure of local taxpayer dollars without the benefit of local taxpayer input; and vN WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature has provided that health conditions related to heart disease, hypertension or tuberculosis suffered by a police officer or firefighter are presumed to be job related, and these " disability presumptions' are applicable to both workers' compensation and disability pension claims; and WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature has written and the courts have interpreted the disability presumption laws so favorably toward these employees that cities and other government employers basically cannot overcome the presumption and show the health condition was not work related; and WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature transferred all operational and administrative control of police and firefighter pension plans from the [ City/ Town / Village] to a legislatively created board of trustees, a separate legal entity apart from the [ City, Town, Village] that exercises broad powers outside the [ City' s/ Town' s / Village' s] control, and is not required to provide fiscal transparency or accountability for substantial amounts of public funds; and WHEREAS, the [ City, Town, Village] is seeking immediate mandate relief from the Florida Legislature and requests the Legislature to untie its hands so that it can responsibly address its pension and other personnel issues locally and in a manner that best serves its taxpayers, stops potential pension abuse and protects pensions for current and future generations ofpolice and firefighters. PBfacet Pg. 136  14. 3. b PENSION REFORM ADVOCACY KIT NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE [ COUNCIL / COMMISSION) OF THE CITY / TOWN /VILLAGE OF ], FLORIDA: Section 1. That the [ City /Town /Village] hereby supports responsible police and firefighter defined benefit pension and disability presumption reforms to ensure sound, secure and stable pensions will be there for current and future police and firefighters. Section 2. That the ( City /Town / Village] believes local issues should be addressed locally and hereby requests the Florida Legislature to remove itself from the local collective bargaining process between the City /Town /Village] and its police and firefighters. Section 3. That the [ City /Town /Village) hereby requests the Florida Legislature to remove mandates establishing minimum pension benefit standards for police and firefighter pensions, remove the requirement to provide new, extra pension benefits to police and firefighters, and allow the [ City /Town/ Village] to use insurance premium tax revenues to pay for the level of pension benefits for police and firefighters that meets the needs and priorities of the [ City /Town / Village]. Section 4. That the [ City/ Town /Village] hereby requests the Florida Legislature to enact responsible reforms to bring a fairer balance to the application of disability presumption laws relating to certain health conditions suffered by firefighters and police officers by allowing a disability presumption to be overcome by a preponderance of the evidence, and allowing certain individual risk factors to be considered when applying a disability presumption, such as tobacco or alcohol use, weight and diet, genetics and lifestyle choices. Section 5. That the [ City / Town /Village] hereby requests the Florida Legislature to impose reasonable fiscal transparency and accountability standards on legislatively created police and firefighter pension boards of trustees. Section 6. That the [ City /Town /Village] urges the Florida Legislature to pass and the Governor to approve the above responsible reform recommendations relating to police and firefighter pension plans and disability presumptions in the 2013 legislative session. Section 7. That the [ City / Town / Village] Clerk is directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to Governor Rick Scott, the Florida Legislature, and the Florida League of Cities, Inc. Section 8. That this resolution shall be effective upon adoption. PASSED IN OPEN AND REGULAR SESSION OF THE [ CITY COUNCIL/ COMMISSION OF THE CITY /TOWN/ VILLAGE OF ), FLORIDA, THIS DAY OF 2012 RBCket Pg: 137..  14. 3. 6 PENSION REFORM ADVOCACY KIT LONG VERSION: DRAFT RESOLUTION ON POLICE AND FIREFIGHTER PENSION AND DISABILITY PRESUMPTION REFORMS 2012- A RESOLUTION OF THE [ CITY / TOWN / VILLAGE OF] SUPPORTING POLICE OFFICER AND FIREFIGHTER PENSION PLAN AND DISABILITY PRESUMPTION REFORMS TO MAKE THE PLANS SUSTAINABLE, SOUND AND SECURE FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS. Please add any additional information specific to the City/ Town /Village) WHEREAS, the [ City/ Town /Village] deeply honors and respects the services provided and sacrifices made by police officers and firefighters, and desires to provide current and future police officers and firefighters with a pension system that is sound, sustainable and reliable. The [ City /Town / Village] also desires to protect local taxpayers from unsustainable and unsound pension levels, and remove undue state level police and fire union influence and past legislative meddling with local police and firefighter pensions. The [ City/ Town /Village] supports responsible reforms that protect pensions so they will be there for future generations of police officers and firefighters and safeguard taxpayer dollars; and WHEREAS, a priority of the [ City/ Town /Village] is for the Florida Legislature to address numerous legislative actions it has taken throughout the past 40 years relating to the [ City' s / Town' s / Village' s] police and firefighter defined benefit pension plans. These actions have had significant negative fiscal impacts on the [ City / Town / Village] and its taxpayers. The legislative reforms the [ City /Town /Village] is seeking do not provide cities with a " hand -out" from or a " bail -out" by the Legislature relative to police and firefighter pensions. Rather, the [ City/ Town / Village] seeks reasonable and responsible changes to state law to " level the playing field" and allow cities to determine and implement police and firefighter pension reform at the local level; and WHEREAS, in 2011, the Florida Legislature passed SB 1128, which took important initial steps in reforming city police and firefighter defined benefit pension plans. The legislation addressed several issues, including prohibiting "spiking" of pension benefits by restricting the use of overtime and unused sick or annual leave payments for pension