BuckeyeBlog

It’s a victory for all small business in Ohio thanks to the Buckeye Institutes’ 1851 Center for Constitutional Law.  Pour House, a locally owned bar in Columbus, will not be fined for smoking violations thanks to a court decision last Friday.

The court ruled that Pour House should not have been fined since there is no evidence that the owner permitted smoking.  The court also ruled that it is not the bar or restaurant’s job to enforce the smoking ban.  Maurice Thompson, Director for the 1851 Center, discussed the ruling.

With the final decision on Issue One just a day away and as the battle between both sides heats up, I decided it was time to be front and center with a Columbus Police Officer. On Saturday, August 2, 2009, I accompanied a police officer who’s job may be on the line. I rode side-by-side with him during the second shift at the 19th Precinct on the west side of Columbus. This is a first-hand account of a night in the 19th Precinct.

It began like any other ride-a-long, (I have been on two others before, one in Athens, Ohio and the other in Baltimore, Maryland), strange looks, some smiles but mostly the officers just pretending like I am not there. After passing the warrant check and scanning my license I was cleared to go.

The officer I was riding with has been with the Columbus Police Department for four years, an average length it seemed compared to the other officers working that night. The officer explained what was in the car, mentioning his car is short on supplies because, “the city won’t pay for them.” Then it was time to head on the road. (more…)

In a recent article mentioning the research and numbers behind the Buckeye Institute’s series on the City of Columbus Employee Salary Database some of the numbers provided in the article, “More Money, More Problems,” were challenged. 

The median household income in the City of Columbus according to the Economic Research Service was $37,897 in 2000.  The $48,076 referred to in the article is based on numbers from 2007 for Franklin County and not just Columbus, Ohio.  Median household income numbers from 2007 were not used because a variety of sources referenced figures ranging from $42,253 to $48,076. 

Either way, household income by definition can include more than one “bread-winner.”  The median income for ONE city employee is still more than that.  An individual working for the City of Columbus can potentially makes more money than an entire household living in the city. 

The article continues by configuring the median income for City of Columbus employees without including overtime pay.  By doing this calculation the author points out an alarming fact: the median income with overtime is $4,934 more than the median income without it included.  This reiterates the vast amount of overtime employees working for the city make. 

The City of Columbus paid out more than $28 million in overtime last year alone.  That is more than 30% of the amount of money the city hopes to raise with the proposed income tax increase on August 4, 2009. 

All of these calculations, both on the Buckeye Blog and in the other article do not include pension, benefits, or retirement.  The Division of Police alone expects to pay out close to $9 million; that is for only two union organizations and includes only the City’s share of pension payments. 

Individuals living in Columbus make less than city employees and do not have the same pension plans or health and retirement benefits.

Police equipment costs are adding to the City of Columbus’ budget hole again this year.

According to a report provided to City Council in 2007, the Columbus Division of Police’s helicopter fleet is the third largest of any police helicopter fleet in the country. The City even seems to be in disagreement about just how many choppers make up the fleet. One report links the city to owning eight helicopters, six of which are operational and another two that are held in storage.

A 2008 report from the City Auditor cites seven fully operational helicopters. City Council approved the purchase of a new helicopter in 2007, which cost tax payers $1,356,545. If each helicopter cost around $1.3 million, the city has spent between $9.1 and $10.4 million on purchasing helicopters. In addition, the city has $1.7 million worth of insurance on each helicopter.

However, those figures do not include the cost of operating every helicopter. In a report to City Council, the division claims to fly a helicopter in the air 16 hours a day, 365 days a year. That is more than 5,800 hours a year. According to a manual on the manufacturer’s website, it costs $375/hour to operate a McDonnell Douglass MD500E. Therefore, the cost of operating one helicopter at that rate is $2.19 million a year.

However, the claim that helicopters are used 16 hours per day is inconsistent with the numbers in the department’s budget this year. Only $248,000 has been appropriated for fuel costs this year, but as of June 23, 2009, not a single penny of that money has been spent. So far this year, the department has spent $100,000 on maintaining and servicing its fleet.

Does the City own “hybrid” helicopters that don’t require fuel, or is the fleet not being used as regularly as the Division claims?

Paul R. Rakosky will be the new City Finance Chief for Columbus in less than three days. But, it was just nine months ago that Rakosky found himself behind bars at the Franklin County Correctional Center.

According to the police report, Captain David Rose and Sergeant Nester found Rakosky “doubled over, swaying and staring at the ground,” near Woody Hayes Drive on the OSU campus back in October of last year.

As Rakosky stood on the side of the street, the officers began to approach him and noticed he was “unsteady on his feet, had red blood-shot eyes, slurred speech, was confused and had an odor of an alcoholic beverage…” As the officers walked closer they noticed he “had dirty stains on his pants as if he had fallen several times…”

While Captain Rose and Sergeant Nester questioned the Deputy Finance and Management Director, Rakosky admitted he had been drinking and told the officers he “was trying to walk home.” Rakosky was unable to identify where he was and began to stagger away when the officers offered to take him home. Rakosky then became “uncooperative” and told the officers, “take me to jail.”

The 46-year-old was arrested and taken to the OSU Police Department where officers called his girlfriend to pick him up. Before being arrested Rakosky informed the officers of his title as Deputy Finance and Management Director for the City of Columbus.

The night did not end at the OSU Police Department for Rakosky; while police began to release the Deputy Director he refused to “stand up for the removal of the handcuffs,” and threatened officers with legal action. After the uncooperative behavior officers transferred Rakosky to the Franklin County Correctional Center.

Rakosky was charged and plead guilty to one count of disorderly conduct while intoxicated, a minor misdemeanor. According to records, Rakosky paid just $74 dollars in fines; a $124 dollar cash deposit for bond was paid by Deborah Klie, Columbus City Treasurer and rumored girlfriend.

Mayor Michael Coleman appointed Rakosky as the replacement for Joel S. Taylor, the current City Finance Chief, in June of this year. City employees and public officials in Columbus are responsible for signing an Ethics Policy and a Pledge of Ethical Conduct “to ensure public officials and employees of the City of Columbus are fully informed of their accountability to the public in all matters relating to the operation of government in accordance with State and City statutes, laws, or codes.”

Does Rakosky’s behavior fall under ethical behavior? Perhaps the new City Finance Chief needs to take a second look at the pledge and code of conduct.

Recent posts regarding the City of Columbus employee salary database has garnered some attention throughout Columbus and Ohio.  A lot of the interest stems from Issue One, a proposed income tax increase in the City of Columbus.  I had an opportunity to join Dirk Thompson from 610 WTVN on his show “Dirk Thompson Hunt for the Truth.”  Click here to listen to the show.

More information regarding the employee salary database can be found here.

A safe city is at the top of most citizens’ lists; and to keep a city safe a strong police force is needed. According to the Division of Police 2008 Annual Report there are 1,876 sworn personnel officers and 335 civilian personnel officers. That is equivalent to 2.4 officers for every 1,000 people in Columbus. That is greater than the national average of two officers per 1,000 people.

Not only is Columbus higher than the national average the Capital City also sits above some of the larger cities. Based on 2005 numbers, Columbus had 2.5 officers per 1,000 people. That is greater than Los Angeles and Dallas, Texas.

Is lowering the number of officers per 1,000 people from 2.4 to the national average of two an option? Of course it could be, whether it is a solution is debatable. What is not debatable is whether or not it would save the city money.

Dropping the police force to the equivalent of two officers per 1,000 people in Columbus would mean the loss of about 440 officers. If the average police officer salary in 2008 for a police officer was $75,208, the city of Columbus would have seen more than $33.1 million in personnel savings last year in police officer salaries alone.

The Division of Police is the biggest personnel cost for the City of Columbus.  It represents over 31% of total personnel costs in 2008, totaling over $166 million.

The Division of Police employed over 2,300 people last year.  More than 950 of those employees earned more than $75,000 in 2008; that is more than 40% of the people employed by the Division of Police.  97% of those earning more than $75,000 were police officers.

A number of Division of Police employees are making even more than that, 150 employees took in more than $100,000 in 2008.  More than 90% of those employees were police officers.

79% of employees in the Division of Police earned more than the median household income in Columbus.  The percentage of police officers making more than that is even higher, 93%.

Employees in the Columbus Division of Fire are seeing plenty of green as well.  Over 800 employees in the fire division took home more than $75,000 last year.  More than 120 of them earned more than $100,000.

More than 1,500 employees in the fire division took home “other” pay that was more than $1,000.  20% of the total money paid toward Columbus Division of Fire salaries went to overtime or “other” pay last year.

The City of Columbus seems to have found itself in a tough spot; an $80 million budget hole on one side and citizens needs on another.  The solution, according to city leaders, is to raise the income tax.

According to the Economic Research Service the median household income in Ohio is $46,645.  In Columbus it is even less than that, $37,897.  The per capita income in the city is less still, $20,450.

City of Columbus employees are a little better off it seems.  The median income for the almost 10,000 people employed by the City is $53,059.34.  That includes overtime pay but does not include pension, retirement, or benefits.

Total overtime pay for City of Columbus employees in 2008 totals more than $28 million.  More than 150 employees made more than $25,000 in overtime last year.  Those same employees represent 65% of the total overtime paid by the City of Columbus in 2008.

In the spirit of transparency, the Buckeye Institute requested a salary database from the City for all City of Columbus employees.  The City Auditor’s Office answered our request with .pdf documents detailing salary information including total overtime and “other” pay.

To make it easier to navigate through, the Buckeye Institute has converted the file into a Microsoft Excel document that can be downloaded and searched.

http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/docs/XPP0947_YTD_2008.xls

The Buckeye Institute will be posting a series of stories related to the information found above in the hope of informing all Ohioans.

Extra hours means lots of extra money for the City of Columbus.  In 2008, total overtime pay for City Columbus employees was over $28 million.

Over 150 city employees made more than $25,000 in overtime alone last year.  That overtime payment alone is more than 65% of the median household earned in Columbus.  Those same employees represent 65% of the total overtime pay.

Who brought in the most?  The top ten employees who made the most overtime in 2008 all worked for the Police or Sewerage and Drain Division.  These same employees all made more than $106,000 total last year and all of the top ten overtime earners also took home “other” pay.

The City of Columbus paid these ten employees $80,407.83 more in overtime pay than in regular pay.  Their overtime pay is on average more than 51% of their total pay in 2008.