The attached letter was sent to all Belleair Beach Council Members along with the City Manager asking that they acknowledge the Belleair Beach Police Officers request that they support, and understand that with the rising cost of living in the area of Pinellas County many of the Officers struggle to survive.
The City of Belleair Beach Officers remain the lowest paid Police Officers in Pinellas County, and ask that the City Council indicate, that should the present Officers accept employment with another agency, the Pinellas County Sheriff's office in particular, which could in effect cause the City to contract Police Services out, at least on a temporary basis, until a referendum could be held for the citizens to determine if these services should be continued to be contracted out, or for the Police Department to be reformed, that the City of Belleair Beach would not hold the Pinellas County Sheriff or any other agency responsible for this action.
This issue will be addressed at the next City Council Meeting on Monday, August 7, 2006 at 6:30 PM
The Belleair Beach Police Officers are requesting your attendance to report on this matter to the community.
Belleair Beach City Council and City Manager
444 Causeway Boulevard
Belleair Beach, FL 33786
The Fraternal Order of Police as the bargaining agent for the police officers of the City of Belleair Beach, would like at this time, to submit and request the Belleair Beach City Council and Belleair Beach City Manager support and acknowledge the undersigned Belleair Beach police officers request for police services be transferred to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office or another qualified police agency. Your direct approval would allow the undersigned Beach police officers the opportunity to seek employment with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office or larger law enforcement agency, based on financial consideration with the approval and understanding of the City Council respectfully.
Your own City Manager of Belleair Beach a few short months ago, applied for the position of City Manager of Dunedin, Florida, due to the fact that he/himself sought financial consideration for his family. The Belleair Beach police officers must also seek financial consideration for their families due to the rising living cost. The Honorable Mayor Rudy Davis went on record to say that he personally understood the reason and needs of the City Manager to seek other financial considerations for his family. The Honorable Mayor Rudy Davis demonstrated no objections to this application, as he truly understands escalated living cost in Florida.
The Belleair Beach police officers continue to be the lowest paid police officers in Pinellas County. Pinellas County is an area that has seen an enormous rise in the cost of living as has all of the Tampa Bay area. Electric billings have increased recently due to rising fuel costs, as well as housing cost have increased dramatically and continue to skyrocket at an alarming pace.
Requested approval and understanding by the City Council would place police services in the forefront of what direction both the citizens and City Council are currently seeking. Approval would allow the City Council the opportunity to contract police services until a referendum could be held allowing a clear choice to contract police services or maintain their own Police Department at perhaps the current salary base offered.
Our organization after interviewing the undersigned Belleair Beach Police Officers believe that these police officers have done their best to provide professional police services to the city of Belleair Beach. The Fraternal Order of Police along with the undersigned Belleair Beach police officers, firmly believe that their current salary along with the currently offered cost of living and merit raises is not acceptable for the escalated cost of living in Pinellas County. The undersigned Belleair Beach police officers and the Fraternal Order of Police also believe that contraction police services out to another agency would allow these undersigned Belleair Beach police officers the opportunity to provide for their families with higher salary ranges which are now offered by other larger agencies. The Belleair Beach police officers are requesting that you allow the same consideration for application for these officers with a larger agency for financial consideration for their families as you did your City Manager for application to the City of Dunedin.
This agency and the undersigned Belleair Beach police officers would like to thank the Belleair Beach City Council and City Manager for the time and opportunity to present this request. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Tim Ingold, President of the Fraternal Order of Police
Sergeant Michael Coleman
Ofc. Ron Bouvrette
Ofc. Randy Lamb
Ofc. Vita Calderone
Ofc. Robert Stoll
Ofc. Cristina Carosella