Tulsa Police Chief Talks About Cuts

[waterboy]

Wilbur, your remarks mirror those spoken to me by one of the TFD guys who has some seniority and a history of dealing with the city. He also is surprised that no one has looked into assertions by the mayor's office concerning funds. Apparently no one has questioned the veracity of the budget crisis. But, imo, this isn't about money as much as about taming ones business partner. Not union busting, just taming.


As to why the press isn't doing anything? Same process. If you want the good stories and the continued leakage of tips you best not poke the tamer in the eye. Please note: Fox was the only local channel to NOT report that Palmer had been dissed by having to read of his own resignation in the local newspaper.

[rwarn17588]

Given the precipitous drop in sales-tax revenue in recent months, that alone is a very good reason that the mayor's office is not making a pledge to avoid layoffs.

It's called not making promises so you don't have to break them.

[MH2010]

and to just add to Wilber's comments, we understand the city is in a crisis right now. What make us question this crisis is that we never get the same answer twice and we now believe the mayor has another agenda besides just weathering this financial storm. The mayor said he needed 3.4 million from the police budget and said go meet with city finance and talk to them about it. We meet with them and they say, really it's more like 2.9 million but if we don't do something the city won't be able to make payroll by the end of this fiscal year. We bring a proposal for savings of 4.4 million and no paycuts\lay-offs. The mayor rejects it and gives us a counter of a pay cut of 5.2% and a net loss of 33 officers and his proposal only saves 3.4 million. He also wants this contract to extend 18 months.  

We did want a guarantee of no more lay-off if we took their deal. The mayor said no because sales tax revenue could continue to decline.  We then asked if they could do some projecting and put some numbers in the contract about when other lay-offs would be triggered. That way, we could has some assurances that we wouldn't agree to a pay cut and then he lay-off 100-155 officers the next week. The mayor said no.  We then asked if we could have some guarantee that when things turn around (sales tax returns to XX), we could get the 5.2% back automatically and not have to negotiate for it again.  He said no.  He also has said no to this will all the other unions.  This indicates to us that the mayor does not ever intent to raise the pay of city workers back to previous levels no matter what the sales tax revenue does.

As you can imagine, this is a major problem for city workers.

Sorry, is this is rambling/confusing, the comments were just off the top of my head. I'll post more later when I have time.

[Red Arrow]

We bring a proposal for savings of 4.4 million and no paycuts\lay-offs.

Are you at liberty to provide any details?

[MH2010]

Normally I would. However, we are now so close to a deal I think I'm going to hold off on any further comments. If a deal isn't struck soon, I'll post each of the offers for everyone to see.

[Conan71]

Hang tough guys. Interesting to hear another side to the story.

[FOTD]

Thanks MHdoublenaught singlenaught!  Looks like Dewey and Screwy are setting the union bosses up or they are not that clever and just manipulating pricing or both.

When you refer to "city workers" are you meaning all departments?

[Rico]

"1.  How much money has been transferred OUT of the General Fund (the fund used to pay salaries) in the last six months, last 12 months.  Be sure to ask where that money was transferred to.
2.  How much money came out of the General Fund and went to the BOK Center and Furlough Field.
3.  All transactions of the Sinking Fund.  You will find it went from more than $15M to under $3M in a very short time frame.
4.  All emails between Terry Simonson and Tulsa County Sheriff employees in the last 12 months.
5.  All emails between Tulsa County Sheriff employees and Dewey Bartlett, both before and after the election.
6.  Last pay stub of Terry Simonson and date of his last employment with Tulsa County."



Aren't their a few persons missing from the current portrayal of "Life near the top" of OTC?




Has this person finally got Mr Miller a position where he can somehow repay the $94K salary that he earned while chickee babysat the Law Office.

Are they still connected at the hip? Have they joined OTC's version of the "mile high club"?

Or have I been asleep at the wheel for so long that this is not even a possibility anymore?

What happened with that fellow named "Big Bob Dick" and the "bridge that may still be"?

Are the playing cards now in an order that could make the bridge a reality?

[shadows]

The unionization of the law enforcers when it was enacted brought many restrictions that are enforceable in the courts.  The mayor is sitting on the edge of the razor trying to balance the general fund to coincide the total budget that is established on dreams of increasing income each year.  The spin-off of million of dollars that go the little kingdoms in trusts hides the total cost of the outlay to the operating funds that are collected.  It hard to predict, in the migration of the citizens as they move into the burbs and establish malls collecting the sales taxes that the dreamers believed belonged in the Tulsa general fund. 

It would be a very foolish jester on the part of the mayor to agree to a reduction in the compensation package the PD receives and agree to restore it at a later point.  Tulsa's days of the golden calf may be over for a extend time and such agreement would only create another point of controversy.  Like the vacant houses sitting on the hill at Cripple Creek, Tulsa's gold strike could be petering out.  Bartlett's juggling of a closed budget seems on the right track.

I feel for anyone in this falling economy loosing their job but this can happen and a college degree, unless in a specific subject is merely a sheet of paper.     

[FOTD]

The unionization of the law enforcers when it was enacted brought many restrictions that are enforceable in the courts.  The mayor is sitting on the edge of the razor trying to balance the general fund to coincide the total budget that is established on dreams of increasing income each year.  The spin-off of million of dollars that go the little kingdoms in trusts hides the total cost of the outlay to the operating funds that are collected.  It hard to predict, in the migration of the citizens as they move into the burbs and establish malls collecting the sales taxes that the dreamers believed belonged in the Tulsa general fund. 

It would be a very foolish jester on the part of the mayor to agree to a reduction in the compensation package the PD receives and agree to restore it at a later point.  Tulsa's days of the golden calf may be over for a extend time and such agreement would only create another point of controversy.  Like the vacant houses sitting on the hill at Cripple Creek, Tulsa's gold strike could be petering out.  Bartlett's juggling of a closed budget seems on the right track.

I feel for anyone in this falling economy loosing their job but this can happen and a college degree, unless in a specific subject is merely a sheet of paper.     

Absolutely. You got kids you better tell them to learn 2 skills then worry about college.

" Tulsa's days of the golden calf may be over for a extend time and such agreement would only create another point of controversy. " Indeed. Not just Tulsa...

[Breadburner]

I see no reason why the Cherokees....Creeks and Osage could not kick in some monies to save these jobs....

[FOTD]

I see no reason why the Cherokees....Creeks and Osage could not kick in some monies to save these jobs....

Wow! Should we force them at gunpoint?

[Conan71]

Wow! Should we force them at gunpoint?

No, we've done that already.

Think about how much in the way of sales taxes the Creek, Osage, and Cherokees are siphoning off the City of Tulsa with their casinos.  Granted, all perfectly legal.  But if the city financial crisis bothers anyone who routinely pisses away money in the casinos, I suggest they get ahold of their compulsive tendencies, because it's not helping with public safety.

Anyone know if they collect liquor tax or sales tax on meals purchased there?  I'm not aware of any cut of gambling proceeds being shared with the city or county. 

I went to go see a friend's band play at River Spirit last weekend and couldn't believe that ground parking was completely gone and 1/2 the parking garage was full on Friday night.  Drive by any afternoon, the lots are at least 1/2 full and most of the car tags are local.  We had dinner there, no drinks, and not so much as a quarter dropped in a gaming machine.  I doubt I'll go back, I just figured out where all the smokers in Tulsa hang out these days, ghack!

Truth in advertising: "Cherokee Nation Industries: Getting Even One Degenerate Gambler At A Time"

[cannon_fodder]

I don't know the details, I don't know if everyone is lying and in spite of a massive drop in revenue the city really does have money and is just out to screw people, I don't know if the bok center profit statements are lies...

What I know is that this ordeal has caused most tulsans I talk with to feel the slogan "to protect and serve" refers to senior fop member's bank accounts. A lot of goodwill was lost holding onto company cars and now this fiasco.  The union has really played its hand too strong, they won all the battles but lost the pr war and failed to serve the people of tulsa or their junior members.

Enjoy your ~$5k in severance.

Between firefighter unions campaigning for people that won't look into fraud, teachers fighting tooth and nail any method to messure effectiveness, and now cops protecting and serving the union over citizens; a have a real sour taste in my mouth for "civil servants" banding together for the common good.  Can't wait for tsa to get their union up and going.  Your free to look out for your interest above the tax payers, but you should anticipate to lose some respect for doing so.

[Breadburner]

Sure says alot about the "Brotherhood of Fire and Police......"Sorry"...brother.....