FAC an important committee for the city of Cape Coral
To the editor:
In The Breeze article about Mike Foye’s resignation from the Finance Advisory Committee earlier this week, your paper referenced $54 million as the amount the FAC recommended to the council this last August as identified savings. I am not certain from where this number comes, but it is strangely similar to the various numbers that the Cape’s very own vocal minority keeps using at council meetings and in your paper’s letters to the editor. And, it is fully inaccurate.
The truth is simply this. The FAC recommended $44.7 million in potential reductions to council during the last budget review period. Of that, $40.7 million was specifically related to personnel items.Of these, $19.7 million was related to changes that were associated with compensation plan adjustments in the areas of salary controls, health care cost sharing, and retirement program cost sharing. There are seven unions and two non-union employee classes that could participate in these changes, if enacted. Three of the seven union contracts are now in negotiation, and none, some, or all, of our recommendations could be approved through this process.
And $21 million was related to the potential savings of backfilling none of the positions associated with the early buyout program, a number likely not realizable in the long run based upon the histories of these types of programs.
Given this, the statement published by The Breeze relative to the FAC and its recommendations was not accurate. This is unfortunate, as so much of the commentary that appears from the few citizens who you all choose to print weekly in the Saturday letter’s section also provides so much mis- and disinformation about the city. The document presented to council at our COW meeting with them last October is available through the city, if anyone should desire more specific, and accurate, information regarding the committee’s recommendations.
Finally, Monday’s resignation by Mike Foye from the FAC is truly unfortunate, and he will be missed. His decision is his, and he is the only one that knows the true reason. Those in the community that have already claimed some sort of “vindication” due to his departure from the committee should discuss their claims with him directly before making these self-aggrandizing remarks. Mike is a friend and FAC compatriot, and I respect his decision and his reasons.That said, the FAC is an important committee for the city, and its members will continue to support the Council and the citizens in the months ahead per Council resolution.
Steve Riggs
Vice Chairman, FAC