By Brian Lockhart
Staff Writer
January 11, 2006
NORWALK -- Members of the Common Council pressured Mayor Richard Moccia last night to release an analysis of the police department's controversial and costly retirement plan, which is being used in negotiations with the city's firefighters.
Moccia resisted the council's demands, saying the document is part of labor negotiations with the firefighters union.
"Do we want to expand the negotiations to the full 15 council members?" Moccia said.
The council traditionally has a vote on contracts, without playing a role in the negotiations. Moccia assured the council it would be provided all the information after the settlement is reached, but before they are asked to vote on it.
Democrat Matthew Miklave believes that is an improper position.
"I appreciate negotiations are primarily within your purview," Miklave said. "But it would be unfortunate . . . if the administration took the position information available to city personnel would be withheld from the Common Council."
Council Democrats and Republicans asked city attorney Peter Nolin to determine if the council legally could see the analysis now.
Republican Douglas Hempstead suggested the information could be shared with the council in a closed-door session.
The debate over the analysis was sparked last night as the council was asked by Police Chief Harry Rilling and Finance Director Thomas Hamilton to appropriate $488,000 from the city fund balance to cover unanticipated costs of a deferred retirement option plan.
The request was eventually unanimously approved.
Offered to the police in the contract approved in 2003, the so-called DROP plan allows police officers, ages 48 or older with at least 20 years of experience, to defer pension payments for up to five years into a tax-free retirement account while receiving a regular salary.
The department originally projected 18 officers would take advantage of the plan. But 34 have signed up, and Rilling said last night there could be another 23 more takers in the coming year but he expects participation to greatly diminish in future years.
The program was initially sold as being cost-neutral and went unexamined by the council in 2003 when it ratified the police contract.
Since that time, however, officials have begun to question the benefits, particularly because the firefighters' union has been seeking something similar. Police will begin negotiations for a new contract in coming months.
Finance Director Thomas Hamilton, in a recent interview said, "the DROP program the police department has is not a cost-neutral DROP. . . . The police DROP plan is terribly expensive and needs to be modified or eliminated."
Asked last night if he had done an analysis of the program, Finance Director Thomas Hamilton said he had but he was not sure if he could release it to the council because it "was in relation to collective bargaining issues."
Moccia inherited the responsibility of settling the firefighters' contract when he assumed office Nov. 22 and has indicated some sort of revenue-neutral DROP plan may be offered. His 176-vote victory over Democrat Alex Knopp has been attributed to the firefighters union throwing its support behind his campaign after voting down a contract offer by Knopp.
Moccia and his bargaining team met for four hours Monday with the firefighters' union and plan to meet again Friday.
Miklave last night said he would have liked to have more complete information on he DROP plan in 2003 and wishes he could revisit his vote for the police contract.
Fire Capt. Ed Prescott, a member of the bargaining team, sat in the audience last night to witness the discussion. He acknowledged that if the fire contract includes a DROP plan, it will have a harder time getting the council's support than the police pact had.
"It'll be scrutinized and it just has to be fully explained," Prescott said. "If it's modified in a way that works for both parties without costing anybody, why isn't it good? . . . There are problems with the DROP. There are ways to fix the DROP."
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