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With labor talks set to begin soon, Atherton’s city manager said he will follow Menlo Park’s example and schedule a public discussion of issues that residents think the town should consider as it negotiates a new contract with the local police union.
The discussion will be on the City Council’s May 15 agenda, said City Manager George Rodericks. The session will also provide a chance for residents to get up to speed on issues related to the contract talks, such as the police department’s current staffing and funding, and the town’s financial situation, including its multimillion-dollar unfunded liability resulting from post-retirement employee benefits.
Mr. Rodericks said staff will prepare a report with pertinent information, modeled on the five-page report presented by Menlo Park staff before that city’s council held its April 23 special meeting to allow residents to comment on upcoming labor negotiations.
The public discussion could be a lively start to what is likely to be a contentious period of negotiations. The Atherton Police Officers’ Association (APOA) recently set a less-than-friendly tone in a letter mailed to residents that some have criticized as threatening and inappropriate.
The letter warned of a potential police officer exodus from town if the council insists on salary and benefit reductions similar to those imposed earlier this year on non-represented staff. It encouraged residents to send their opinions to the council, concluding, “Please let them know you support us.”
Mr. Rodericks said he’s heard from several residents who were concerned with the letter’s content, which planted the seed for scheduling a public discussion on the matter. He and the council also received a formal request from resident Peter Carpenter to hold a meeting, before negotiations begin, that would give the public a chance to discuss objectives the council has set for the labor talks. Mr. Carpenter attended the Menlo Park meeting, and commended that council for holding it.
“The (APOA) letter brought up a lot of things” that residents have questions about, Mr. Rodericks told the Almanac. “I felt that because of upcoming negotiations and comments from Peter Carpenter about the Menlo Park (meeting), we should at least (provide) the public an opportunity to comment.”
Mr. Rodericks said he spoke with Mayor Elizabeth Lewis about putting the session on the May 15 agenda, and “she had no problem with it.”
The “kick-off meeting” between the town and the APOA is expected to be held the first week of May, Mr. Rodericks said. “During the first meeting we expect to set ground rules and expectations for future meetings.”
The current police contract expires Sept. 30.
Related story: Residents tell Menlo Park council to get employee costs under control
Suggestion to the City Manager:
Disclose as much as possible:
2012 Salary and Benefits vs. Proposed 2014 Salary and Benefits vs. 70th Percentile Salary and Benefits
Are all options on the table including outsourcing or is this just about modifying the current arrangement?
Many residents don’t want to truly speak their mind because cops may be at the meeting and have been videotaping all meetings. Some call it paranoia, some think the fear is entirely justified. Whatever your own opinion is, fear is there.
Cops attending – and perhaps videotaping – is legal. But cops should stay away that night and keep the video camera off. It’s the right thing to do, and in their best interests as well, since residents will feel more comfortable.
However many residents will not be there and would want to watch the video to understand the pros and cons of outsourcing, what the APOA wants, what the Council is offering, and if the Council is offering too much.
Anyone who speaks risks being quoted in the paper anyway.
@No Intimidation –your advice and its justification-“its the right thing to do”, is great advice and simply, but perfectly stated. I hope the right people see it and heed it. I have no skin in this game what-so-ever, but it is always disturbing when I see well intentioned people on opposite sides of an issue find they cannot openly communicate on that issue because trust is totally lacking.
The truly unreal thing is that the citizens of Atherton are afraid of their own police. Especially given the fact they could contract with SMCSO for police services at a savings of $2 million a year.
I understand they don’t want to lose their “boutique” police services. So contract those things like having your keys if you lock yourself out or you need your mail taken in or you want a security check on your property while your away to a private security service.
Let’s say private security costs you $500k. That means you save $1.5 million for the same service. No brainer if you ask me.
Don’t believe the BS put out by the APOA about increased response times. Ask Portola Valley and Woodside. They have dedicated patrol cars assigned to their towns per their contracts. So if you contract for two cars in your town it’s no different than what you have now. Two officers at night. Plus the private security folks you would hire for the non-police services. The other advantage is if you need to flood the town with cops the SCMSO can do so quite easily.
So why would Atherton citizens want to keep their own police department? To Keep Mattes and a bunch of over-paid people employed and paying their bloated pensions for years to come? Makes absolutely no sense to me. I would love it if an Atherton citizen could give me a logical, cogent reason for keeping their own police force. Seriously. I’m curious.
MV – I love that this woman decided it’s worth her time to kvetch about the security costs for VIPs visiting Atherton. It’s not like Atherton has poor residents like…EPA! But even better are her comments protecting the PD. I thought you might enjoy it: http://menlopark-atherton.patch.com/articles/op-ed-where-do-you-want-your-tax-dollars-to-go
Kudos to Menlo voter.
Atherton can write a contract with a larger law enforcement agency for whatever services they are willing to pay for and still see a cost savings.
While I’m not saying bigger is better, what I am saying is: does San Mateo County really need 20+ police chiefs, 15+ fire chiefs, 25+ school superintendents, and how may dispatch centers. All this is costing us more than it should — staffing, administration, equipment and retirement.
When someone calls 911 do they really care whose name is on the door of the vehicle?
If you are afraid of your polie dept., contract it out. Residents can always send email or leters to their council person if they can’t attend or are afraid to talk in public.
It may be tme to get a new president of the APOA. A POLICE OFFICER, not a dispatcher!! but then are their any real policemen in Atherton
Does Atherton have a multimillion dollar liability strictly for unfunded police pensions? When this happened in other areas, they either outsourced or went bankrupt funding police pensions. Is bankruptcy another option Atherton is considering or are they just shoving the police pension issue twenty years down the line to the next generation to deal with a bankruptcy when these cops all retire?
LoingtimeAthertonwatcher, your hypothesis about twenty years down the line is a pretty accurate assessment of where things stand.
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