Panel votes to approve Metro Police contracts - this time legally

By Joe Schoenmann

Monday, June 7, 2010 | 10:18 a.m.

Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee voted again to approve union contracts this morning, after the committee failed to follow a new state law when it voted the first time a few weeks ago.

The new law requires more detail to be provided to elected officials and the public on how the contracts affect the budget. After Metro came through with such a description, the vote was identical to the previous committee vote — unanimous in favor of approval of the contracts.

Karen Keller, Metro's executive director of finance, outlined savings from Metro's contract with the 3,222 members of the Police Protective Association totaling roughly $4.9 million.

Overall, Metro's budget starting July 1 will be $513 million, a 6.6 percent decline from the current $549 million.

Tax revenue throughout Clark County is in decline, so Metro is facing the same budget problems plaguing Clark County government and other municipalities. Roughly 60 percent of Metro's budget comes from the county; 40 percent from the city of Las Vegas.

Savings from the one-year contract totals about $5.2 million and includes:

- $893,000 from cutting in half the amount of vacation officers can sell back to the department, from 40 hours to 20 hours.

- Metro's contribution to officers' health insurance will fall by $500, from $9,072 per officer to $8,572. Officers, however, won't have to pay the lost $500 out of their own pocket. Metro's Health and Welfare Trust, which oversees its health insurance, is going to pay the total of about $1.6 million from its reserve fund. The reserves stand at about $20 million.

Metro also negotiated new contract terms with its 1,593 civilian employees for a savings of $8.6 million. Those include:

- Suspending merit increases, saving $1.5 million

- Eliminating an expected increase in insurance contribution, saving $1.8 million

- No salary increases and no longevity pay increases: $5.1 million.

The re-vote came after a Sun story two weeks ago noted that a 2009 law forces governments to hold public hearings before ratifying a union contract. The law was pushed by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, which last month also released guidelines to local governments on how to follow the portion of the law requiring more detailed information about the fiscal impact of the contract changes.

Steven Hill, chairman of the chamber's state policy task force, applauded Metro's efforts to follow the law.

James Hammer, Fiscal Affairs Committee chairman, said after the meeting it's very important for government to be open to the public. To better his own understanding, Hammer said he even had made his own spreadsheet using Metro's fiscal numbers.

"The goal is more understanding and more transparency," said Hammer, who is the only un-elected member of the committee. Two members of the Clark County Commission and two from the Las Vegas City Council round out the five-member board.