The Police and Fire Pension Fund board hasn’t decided if it wants to appeal a recent court ruling that struck down its 30-year agreement with the city.
Heads of the public safety unions know what their members want, though.
Steve Amos, the local Fraternal Order of Police president, told the five-member board Monday it was “clear” his members wanted the group to appeal — and it should as part of its fiduciary duty.
Randy Wyse, local International Association of Firefighters president, didn’t speak to the board but said afterward it should appeal.
Circuit Court Judge Thomas Beverly’s March 22 ruling voided the 30-year agreement that outlines pension benefits for public safety employees. The city said it wouldn’t appeal, but the fund — the other defendant in the Sunshine Law case — hasn’t made that determination yet.
The pension board decided Monday to hold off on making any appeal and instead will wait for a result from its motion to rehear the case. Until that happens, the 30-day appeal window hasn’t started, which buys the fund time to determine its next move.
Beverly’s ruling sided with the plaintiffs — Curtis Lee and the Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County — that a pension deal struck in 2001 and amended several times was crafted behind-closed-doors.
Collective bargaining must be done in publicly noticed meetings, although the city and fund argued what led to the initial deal wasn’t collective bargaining.
But, the group unanimously approved to wait until at least its May 17 meeting.
“I don’t think we have to do anything today,” said Richard Tuten III, the board’s firefighter representative.
A council bill that would spend $85,000 on a forensic audit of the fund also was briefly discussed. Fund board Chair Walt Bussells said council passed the measure, the board would invite the independent auditors to the table and the review could be open and transparent.
Council members held off on voting on that last week to allow the board a chance to review it.
Another bill, one that would establish pension benefits for new employees outside of comprehensive reform, has been sent to the board, too.
Fund administrator John Keane said an actuarial impact statement is being prepared to show what pulling those new hires out would look like.
Outside the scope of reform, the board also received an update on its search for a deputy director that’s been vacant since Richard “Dick” Cohee died in 2012.
The position will pay $115,000-$130,000, based on results from an industry survey, and will be advertised until June 10. The board late last year began pursuing the move.
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