When the final votes are tallied in Baltimore?s mayoral race, the big winners may be the unions representing city police and employees.
Promises of more police, big pay raises and improved pension benefits could come with a heavy price tag for taxpayers.
City Councilman Keiffer Mitchell, District 11, has made hiring more police and raising officer salaries 15 percent across the board a centerpiece of his campaign for mayor. And although he estimates the cost of extra hiring and raises at $38 million in total, the final price may be more.
In 2008, the city will spend $181 million on police salaries and $29 million for benefits, excluding overtime, according to the city budget office. Factoring in a 15 percent raise will bump up police salaries nearly $31 million annually before a single new officer is hired, and that?s not the end of the expense, city Budget Director Ray Wacks said.
“Any raises could possibly increase pension benefits,” he said.
The cost of new police hires is even harder to quantify, but it will certainly add millions of dollars to the tab, Wacks said.
“It?s not just the salaries. There are workers? health insurance costs, guns, uniforms, cars as well as retiree health costs and pension benefits associated with new hires,” he said.
But Mitchell, who has been endorsed by the city police union, defends the financial commitments as a vital part of his plan to battle crime.
“We?re in a crime crisis,” he said.
Asked how he would come up with the extra cash to fund his promises, Mitchell cited eliminating waste and cutting back on police overtime.
“Where there is a will, there?s a way,” he said.
Police union representative Paul Blair said he feels confident the raises and increased staffing will not hurt the city?s bottom line.
“I?ve reviewed the plan with Councilman Mitchell, and with the increase in tax revenues from the real estate boom and overage in other agencies, he assured me we could do it without taking anything from any other union employees,” he said.
Meanwhile, City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who is running to retain the office she inherited from Mayor Sheila Dixon, recently introduced a resolution calling for all city employees to enjoy the same benefits such as earlier retirement and higher percentage of pay when they retire currently offered only to public safety employees. Blake said it was the only way to address a “two- tiered” system.
“We need to give hard-working employees the same benefits,” she said.
But Wacks said the costs of sweetening all city employees? retirement benefits could go through the roof.
“It would be very expensive,” Wacks said.
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