3:00pm | News on the 2011 Fiscal Year budget continues to roll in, as some Long Beach employee groups have agreed to pay freezes and pension reform plans in order to help the City’s effort to balance an $18.5 million deficit.
The Long Beach Management Association (LBMA) voted unanimously to freeze their salaries and support pension reforms that could result in millions of dollars in savings over the next few years. The LBMA, with about 300 members, froze their salaries for the third consecutive year. Reductions to retirement benefits will ease the burden on the City to contribute large sum to CalPERS pensions.
“The City’s management team fully understands the financial challenges facing the City and recognizes the need to take a leadership role in developing the necessary solutions,” said Jim Kuhl, president of the LBMA.
Also on Monday, the Long Beach Firefighters Association similarly agreed to freeze their pay for the upcoming year after several weeks of negotiations. The issue will be discussed further during tonight Long Beach City Council meeting and more details will emerge.
As mentioned yesterday, the City Council is also examining Mayor Bob Foster’s veto and $2.7 million in additional cuts to the General Fund. Four councilmembers requested a deeper examination into exactly what positions and services will be eliminated due to the Mayor’s proposed cuts. Councilmembers Patrick O’Donnell, Gerrie Schipske, Rae Gabelich and Steven Neal requested the item be added to a special meeting today at 3:30pm.
The City Council could potentially override the Mayor’s veto, if six of the nine councilmembers vote to do so. Such a move would keep the $2.7 million in expenditures in a tight budget, though several city employee unions have said they would be more willing to negotiate if the veto was overridden.
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