In spite of all this, Taxpayers only have a 40% say in how the Police and Fire Pension Fund is managed.  Of the five members who oversee  Police and Fire Pension Fund (PFPF), only two are appointed by City Council on behalf of the Taxpayer.  The  PFPF is poorly managed.  Administrative costs are high and the funds under perform relative to similar pension funds.

It is no coincidence that the PFPF fights every attempt at transparency as they collect high salaries and enjoy lucrative benefits.

At the very least, Taxpayers deserve to have a proportional representation on the PFPF board of trustees.  To that end, the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County has adopted the following resolution.

Resolution adopted by Concerned Taxpayers of Duval Co. on January 9, 2012

To the Mayor and City Council ofJacksonvilleFL:

WHEREAS, the City of Jacksonville (“City”) provides about 80% of the funds that are contributed from all sources to the Jacksonville Police & Fire Pension Fund (“PFPF”), and this percentage is projected to increase; and

WHEREAS, the employees participating in the PFPF provide about 10% of the funds that are contributed from all sources to the PFPF, and this percentage is likely to decrease; and

WHEREAS, the remaining contributions to the PFPF principally come from premium taxes collected by the State respecting Duval County properties, and this percentage is also likely to decrease; and

WHEREAS, the PFPF is administered by a 5 member board of trustees, which invests assets, incurs liabilities, hires staff, and makes various expenditures, which in recent years have exceeded $7 million per year, exclusive of benefit payments; and

WHEREAS, employees participating in (benefiting from) the PFPF elect 2 of the trustees of the PFPF, while the City Council, on behalf of the City, appoints 2 of the trustees of the PFPF; and

WHEREAS, those 4 trustees of the PFPF choose a 5th trustee, who the City Council must by law appoint (ratify) as a ministerial matter; and

WHEREAS, the City thus directly appoints only 2 out of 5 trustees of the PFPF, and thereby lacks the power to control the operations of the PFPF; and

WHEREAS, the City needs to have, and deserves to have, the chance to exercise control over PFPF operations, because the City provides 80% of all contributions to the PFPF, and thus all decisions by the PFPF trustees principally affect the City and its taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, State legislation adopted in 2011 empowers the City to modify local law to directly appoint 3 of 5 PFPF trustees (see Curtis Lee’s letter to City Council et al dated Dec. 7, 2011); and

WHEREAS, such a change is not only fair, but proper because the PFPF has very high operating costs, substantial waste and abuse, and poor investment results; i.e., it has a poor track record;

WHEREAS, all existing PFPF trustees and executives have served at least 5 years, and many have served more than 20 years, with the result being that all such incumbents are implicated in the waste, abuse and poor financial results that afflict the PFPF; and

WHEREAS, a failure by the City to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the 2011 State legislation will result in continued harm to City taxpayers, because the PFPF has a poor track record, and is very costly to taxpayers – the PFPF costs the City and its taxpayers over 8% of the City’s General Fund Budget currently, and such percentage is projected to increase;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council and administration should obtain legal opinions and take all necessary action to effectuate such changes in local law, and then should appoint 3 new trustees of the PFPF, with the objective of replacing current management of the PFPF, reducing costs, waste and abuse, and reforming the PFPF.

The audit reinforces what we have been saying all along.  The promises made by the advocates of corporate welfare in the form of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission are often not delivered.  With over a decade long track record of corporate giveaways, handouts and bailouts, taxpayers have little to nothing to show for millions of dollars that have been “invested” .

We applaud the new mayoral administration’s proposed elimination of the JEDC but are skeptical of the dubious effort to re-brand corporate welfare as “public private partnerships” or P3s or PPPs.  Unfortunately the P3s being touted bear no resemblance to the Navy aircraft flying over the city.  Instead, P3s are just another euphemism for corporate welfare schemes where taxpayers bear all the risk of capital financing for a project and private individuals benefit when there (rarely) is a profit.

Now Mayor Brown has promised to reform the concept and focus on Downtown.   Haven’t we heard the broken promises before? Lavilla Redevelopment?  ? Lavilla BistroRiver City Renaissance?  Courthouse?  Genovar Hall?  Shipyards?  Skyway People Mover? Our own John Winkler has performed his own investigation to summarize the just a few of the failed promises of the sages at city hall.  The investigation is featured on our November show.

We do not doubt the sincerity of those who would like to see the urban core thrive.  In fact, we would like to see downtown turn into a prosperous area where people actually enjoy going.   Unfortunately, taxpayers can not afford to lose any more money on risky giveaways disguised as “investments” for some unquantifiable and intangible public good.

We urge Mayor Brown to reconsider the public dollar giveaway to the aspiring robber barons camouflaged as philanthropists.

Board members Tony Bates and John Winkler talk about corporate welfare and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.

Tony Bates, John Winkler and Connie Benham talk about proposed changes to the timing of local elections and corporate welfare.

• The Candidate Committee headed by John Winkler interviewed several dozen candidates as well as obtaining their input from our questionnaire. This information was used by the committee to formulate recommended endorsements for the organization.

• The video interviews of the Candidate Committee were placed on the internet for any and all people to view and form their own opinions. This resource was praised by those in the community was being valuable and informative making voting decisions.

• We printed and distributed a combined 150,000 voter’s guide for this year’s local elections. This was a monumental effort never done by any organization. Although everyone did not agree with our endorsements, his literature was well received by nearly everyone who I spoke with.

• As part of the funding and distribution effort, we reached out and built coalitions with many members in the community that share our values in protecting the interests of Taxpayers. This has allowed us to share our message to a larger audience.

• CTDC has joined as a plaintiff to a lawsuit filed by our own pension expert and member Curt Lee. The suit seeks to stop the Police and Fire Pension Board and the City from continuing to illegally conduct negotiations in violation of state labor and open meeting laws. Recently a favorable ruling to allow the suit to continue forward was rendered by the judge in this case. This project is in need of generous member contributions to see it move forward effectively.

• The Trail Ridge lawsuit is still in the court system. With the new mayoral administration in place, we expect to have some movement in this case when the timing is most advantageous. Other groups have expressed interest in joining this cause as well. Please consider a donation to see that the Taxpayers can have their day in court to avert the injustice of this over $400 million no bid contract.

• Our website has been redesigned and streamlined with web analytics to track traffic to monitor effectiveness in getting people to read our position and educate the Taxpayers of Duval County.

• The focus on new media outreach on Facebook and Meetup has allowed us exposure into new markets that were previously unexploited. Several new members have joined through these venues. We are researching other means such as Twitter and Linked In to leverage new media most effectively.

• The new “hotline” phone number to report waste, fraud, abuse and tomfoolery is being actively used by the public and media to contact us to report issues and obtain our own in depth analysis.

• The JEDC audit is being conducted by the City Council Auditor Kirk Sherman is nearing its conclusion. This would not have happened without the hard work and dedication of our members lobbying council members Clay Yarborough and Glorious Johnson. This effort is being spearheaded by long time member Odile Gracey.

• This year our outreach to the media was the most aggressive and responsive. In many instances, members of the press contacted CTDC members of their own initiative to find out our position on the issues and to learn more about intricate legislation without spin from City Hall.

• We continue to air our cable access program on Thursdays at 7:30 PM on Comcast channel 25 with fresh content and engaging hosts and guests. Our Youtube channel is viewed frequently and we are researching ideas to bring the show to new venues. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, please feel free to share them with us.

• Our membership continues to attend key meetings to make your voice heard. One of the high priorities has been an ethics reform with the restoration of an ethics code back into the City Charter.

• We are developing new marketing and outreach material, particularly large poster boards or displays for public outreach at civic events, trade shows and political gatherings.

WE CAN NOT DO THIS ALONE! Now more than ever your help is desperately needed. Please consider attending the annual General Membership meeting on Monday January 9th 2011 beginning at 6:00 PM at the Piccadilly at Lane and Ramona. This is the annual meeting of the general members where the leadership team is selected. Even if you cannot attend, please consider sending in an updated membership application with the minimum dues renewal of $15 so that we can continue to work for you.

Your organization is hard at work. With your help, next year will be our most productive. Two of our major goals will be the successful litigation of the Trail Ridge and Pension lawsuit. These projects are in desperate need of financial contributions to see them move forward. Any contribution toward this effort will go a long way. We are also looking for groups to partner with to sponsor either case financially.

This year I am challenging those who can afford it for a commitment to renew at a higher level so that we can more effectively fight for the Taxpayer. Your generous contribution of $20, $50 or $100 will help us to continue to fight on your behalf.

Please also remember that CTDC is a volunteer organization. We have no paid staff and rely on the spirit of community service of our volunteers. Your help is needed today for challenges that are too numerous to name in this letter. Please consider attending our next meeting and seeing how you can renew or strengthen your involvement or by using your financial resources to volunteer for you. Information on our meeting locations as well as directions can be found on the website at:

www.jaxtaxpayers.com

and

www.meetup.com/ConcernedTaxpayersDuvalCounty/

The bureaucrats and career politicians know that the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County are always watching their every move standing ready to call attention to their tomfoolery and chicanery. We will relentlessly pursue and prosecute the interests of the Taxpayer in this county with every fiber of our being and every resource at our disposal. Join the fight today with your generous contribution and membership renewal.

If you have any suggestions or input on how we should proceed as an organization, please feel free to contact me personally or attend the next meeting.

Best regards,

Victor Wilhelm Jr.
Immediate Past President
Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County
904-351-8126

Directors John Winkler, Curt Lee talk with Florida Senate District 1 candidate Ramon Day about the city budget and pensions.

Board Member John Winkler talks with Florida Senate District 1 candidate Ramon Day about his campaign.

The Concerned Taxpayers of Duval Co. (CTDC) and Curtis Lee, one of its directors and Chair of the Public Employee Compensation Committee, filed an amended complaint on August 23, against the City of Jacksonville, and the Jacksonville Police & Fire Pension Fund (PFPF).

The lawsuit and amended complaint, among other things, allege that all existing agreements between the City and the PFPF, as well as proposed legislation that was presented by former Mayor Peyton and which is still pending before City Council, were negotiated in violation of state labor law, and state Sunshine Law, and are therefore void. The Lawsuit also seeks to enjoin future violations. The agreements at issue provide generous pension benefits to persons employed and formerly employed by the Jacksonville Sheriffs’ Office and the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department. These pension benefits have been in the news in recent years, as they are very costly to taxpayers, and because the PFPF has approximately a $1 billion funding deficit.

Mr. Lee stated as follows: “The City and PFPF are badly mismanaging the public pensions resulting in huge costs to City taxpayers. Currently, public pensions cost each Jacksonville resident more than $150 per year, and this cost keeps escalating. It is our goal that this lawsuit will assist in causing a fundamental reconsideration of a broken pension system.”

Joe Andrews, Vice President of CTDC adds, “For years the PFPF and City engaged in clandestine negotiations in violation of State Sunshine and Labor laws. The consequence of these illegal agreements is an unsustainable liability to Taxpayers. Had these negotiations been conducted in accordance to the law, it is doubtless that the results would have been more favorable to Taxpayers.”

More information is available from Curtis Lee (594 – 6192) or Robert Dees (357-3660). Additional information is also available on the CTDC website at www.jaxtaxpayers.org

The Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County, Inc. is a not for profit corporation dedicated to serving the community as a watchdog group, to oppose corruption, waste, and tomfoolery in government.

Paid for by the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County, Inc., P. O. Box 2307, Jacksonville, FL 32202

904-351-8126

www.jaxtaxpayers.org

Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County, Inc.,

P. O. Box 2307, Jacksonville, FL 32202

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Board member John Winkler discusses public pensions with pension expert Curtis Lee.

Board member John Winkler discusses recent elections and other topics with Republican Liberty Caucus chairman and fellow CTDC board member Louis Rose.