A special magistrate ruled in favor of firefighters getting raises at the Broward Sheriff's Office and now Sheriff Al Lamberti wants to hand off the next step to County Commissioners.
Lamberti said he asked County Administrator Bertha Henry to have the county write a letter to the Public Employee Relations Commission asking for an exception to the magistrate's recommendation. The clock is ticking — BSO or the county has 20 days from last Tuesday to write that letter.
The magistrate recommended giving firefighters a three percent raise in April 2011. The average cost of a firefighter is $133,931, up 45 percent from 2003/2004, the magistrate wrote. Lamberti said in an interview that that figure includes salary and benefits but not overtime.
"We're disappointed that the special magistrate would recommend nearly $5 million in additional pay and benefits at a time when BSO is laying off people and trying to meet the county's public safety needs despite a mandate by the county to cut $60 million," Lamberti said. "The County Commission may need to impose terms that are more realistic and fiscally responsible."
But Henry told us in an email that the county believes state law requires the sheriff to send that letter to PERC. "If either he or the union rejects the SM's (special magistrate's) recommendations, the County Commission will hold the appropriate public hearing as required."
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