Aug 25, 2009 11:07 pm US/Eastern
Coral Gables Police Protest Proposed Pay Cut
Silent Protest Held Outside City Hall
Gio Benitez
CORAL GABLES (CBS4) ―
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Coral Gables police officers plan to protest a proposal which would cut their pay by seven and a half percent.
CBS
The recession is tightening its grip on the Coral Gables Police Department. Gables police officers are protesting a city proposal that, if approved, will significantly cut their pay and pensions. But the worry is that some officers will have to find another job.
Dozens of officers marched silently into Coral Gables City Hall on Tuesday. They are protesting because the city is proposing they take a big pay cut: 7.5 percent. But they say they can't afford it, so some are already looking for new work.
The police union says that means, "less patrolmen on the streets, less detectives investigating their crime, you'd have a less safe neighborhood and cities," said John Baublitz of the Coral Gables Faternal Order of Police.
That's the concern, but Mayor Don Slesnick says the cuts need to happen.
"It is true that we have put in the proposal that we are asking for higher contributions to pension plans and wage reductions," the mayor told CBS4 News. They are reductions he thinks the people of Coral Gables will support.
"It's a huge concern," said Coral Gables business owner Elena Linares. Her business is in a Miracle Mile breezeway. She's worried because she says officers protect her business at night.
"We can't afford to have that happen," said Linares.
And Coral Gables residents like Susana Alvarez say they hope these potential cuts won't mean an increase in neighborhood crime.
"I am concerned, very concerned," Alvarez told CBS4's Gio Benitez.
City officials argue they are trying to keep tax increases to a minimum. But the proposal still needs to be approved. Coral Gables commissioners will meet again on Monday, Aug. 31.
While officers held their silent protest, Coral Gables resident Richard Martin hit the pavement armed with petitions and a pen. He's requesting Mayor Slesnick and the city commissioners take the same pay cut they are considering imposing on the officers and other city employees.
He's also concerned about higher city service fees, and a possible property tax hike.
"Everybody is being asked to make a sacrifice except the elected officials and the City Manager, and that just upset me," Martin told CBS4 Reporter Natalia Zea.
But Mayor Slesnick says cutting into the roughly $30,000 salary he and commissioners make now is hardly worth the effort.
"We're well underpaid now, for what we do and how we work, and so if you want to talk about it we should probably be paid 2, 3 times what we make and then giving back the five percent or seven percent would make a meaningful difference," said Mayor Slesnick.
Martin argues, "There are a lot of city employees that make that and in some cases make less."
Martin has collected more than 700 signatures for his petition demanding the Commission pay cut. It is entirely up to commissioners to decide whether to vote on that issue.
Martin may not find out whether he's won, until the Commission votes on the final budget by October 1.
To learn more about Martin's petition, CLICK HERE.
CBS4's Natalia Zea contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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