Cash-strapped Bell to consider disbanding police department, cutting salaries and benefits [Updated]

City leaders in Bell will meet Thursday night to consider approving an action plan that would include deep cuts to salaries and benefits, elimination of the city's supplemental retirement plan and the possible disbanding of its police department, all as a means of avoiding bankruptcy.

The action plan is based on the recent findings by the State Controller's Office and the Los Angeles County Auditor-Controller's Office. A recent county review of Bell's finances showed that the city faces a deficit of $2.16 million unless drastic cuts are made. But according to calculations by city administrators, that deficit could grow up to $5 million by the end of June if the council does not take action.

"The city has reached a financial crossroad," the agenda report reads. "While the recommendations set forth in this report require difficult decisions to be made, without these actions, the City will likely be force into insolvency."

The plan offers the City Council a series of options, such as slashing compensation for employees up to 20% and laying off other city workers. The plan also calls for eliminating the city's supplemental retirement plan and some contributions to the state pension plan for future employees.

[Corrected at 10 a.m.: A previous version of this post said that the city would consider eliminating city-matched contributions to employee pensions. Employees currently do not make any contributions to their pensions. The city pays both the "employee" and "employer" contributions. Under the new proposal, the city would only cover the "employer" contribution.] 

But one of the most difficult decisions city officials said they will have to make Thursday is the possible disbanding of its 83-year-old police department. The  department currently operates at a cost of approximately $8.47 million annually, which is $2 million more than the city's expenditures for other operations, according to city officials.

The police department, whose contract with the city is under negotiations, is comprised of 45 full-time sworn and non-sworn employees, according to city administrators.

By contracting with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the city would save nearly $4 million and could potentially "eliminate the City's entire deficit without having to make further cuts in any other department," the report says.

The report also emphasized, however, that disbanding the police department is only one of several options that will be considered.

Bell, a city of roughly 40,000 people with a general fund of $13.5 million, is in this financial predicament in part because it had been rapidly increasing compensation and salaries of top city officials, accounting for a large portion of the budget.

Until they were force to resigned, former Chief Administrator Officer Robert Rizzo was in line to receive more than $1.5 million, with $846,000 for Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia and $770,000 for Police Chief Randy Adams. All but one member of the council made close to $100,000 annually for their part-time jobs.

Other officials also received high salaries; both Lourdes Garcia, the city's director of administrative services, and Eric Eggena, the director of general services, were each paid more than $400,000 annually. Eggena has since been fired and Garcia agreed to a 61% pay cut. A third official was also laid off.

In addition, state auditors found that the city had to refund more than $5 million in illegal taxes levied during the previous administration's reign and now faces hefty legal bills because of the scandal. The city has racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees from City Atty. Jamie Casso and his law firm since they were hired last summer.

The small town has also taken a financial punch from the poor economy.

RELATED:

How Bell hit bottom

Audits of Bell were 'rubber-stamp,' state controller says

Audit finds Bell could have trouble providing basic services

-- Ruben Vives

 

Comments

[ceaandtee]

what i want to now is if those elected officials who have been arrested have had their accounts frozen? if not, why not? before the city starts eliminating the police force and slashing employees, they need to goet a hold of those assets. they stole from the people of this city. they have no right to any of it. take the money and use it to pay whatever bills bell has.
it may not be much, but its a start. it takes a lot og gall to steal from a city and then want them to pay your legal defense. who do these people think they are?

[Common Sense]

This is a no-brainer. The Bell PD should be disbanded immediately, on economic grounds alone. The fact that the department is also the most corrupt municipal law enforcement agency in Southen California only makes the case more compelling. Give the officers 24 hours to pack their bags and turn in their equipment.

Don't forget the final year-end evaluation for each officer: "Did not meet expectations, severely underperformed, poor professionalism, needs improvement, etc."

[Mike]

The officers there will have to find work elsewhere. The Sheriff will not be taking any of them over.

[J. Priest]

The chickens are coming home to roost.

Is anyone surprised after what Rizzo and his gang of thugs did to Bell?

[Tuthmosis]

Do you know how ghetto Bell is already? Imagine it with no police department. This is why if I have to go anywhere East of Downtown, I fly there.

[Person of Interest]

The officers of the Bell police are NOT crooked - their CHIEF was. Randy "my neck hurts" Adams avoided jail due to his friendship with "honest" Steve Cooley. Don't blame the cops - blame the bosses! ! ! ! ! !

[IndianJoe]

Close it down... Chalk one up for another case of public employees killing the goose laying golden eggs...

[Joe]

Isn't this the townt hat also did a contract for their police force to protect a neighboring town, and because of the costs associated with that, is in the red? I thought the cost to police the other city, and the increase of patrols contributed to this, since there were no concessions for overtime and extra patrols, which is the problem.

[phoenixandrew]

Both Bell and Vernon should allow the City of Los Angeles to annex them.

[Greg Maragos]

Many of these civil servants had NOTHING to do with the bankruptcy of the City of Bell. They, like the various taxpayers, were merely going about their daily lives, showing up for work, doing what they were told to do--yet they have to sacrifice and suffer along with everybody else, including the residents of Bell.

QUESTION: What makes the various other government employees in California any different?

Well???

[JustSaying]

A couple of observations:

First, Tuthmosis your comments are ridiculous. First, you make an ignorant and insulting comment that if you have to go "anywhere East of Downtown" you fly there is as foolish and ignorant as they come. To lump the entire eastern County into one class is ridiculous. There are cities and areas in the eastern part of the County that are extremely nice and definitely safer than the west side - and the people aren't as rude. You also wrote that Bell would have no police, proving even further that you speak with no knowledge of simple facts. There is no area in the County without law enforcement; either a city employees their own department or they contract with the Sheriff Dept. Unincorporated areas of the County are also Sheriff jurisdiction. Educate yourself before speaking.

Second, anyone else do the math in relation to the salary for the director of general services? Even with a 61% pay cut he'll still be making close to $160K! For running a department in the City of Bell? What a joke.

I'm just saying!

[Common Sense]

Person of interest: At this point, it is no longer a question of blame. We are beyond that - the damage is done. It is now a question of economics. Even if the officers were model patrolmen, pillars of their community, honest and over-qualified Ivy-League graduates (chuckle, chuckle), they still should laid-off because the City can simply no longer afford their egregious compensation.

[anonymous]

We.need the police department not sheriffs ..not to offend anybody but contracting the sheriff department would mean more thugs and cholos in our city just look at maywood..the citizens there are regretting eever getting rid of their force..people dnt talk smack if yu dnt even have your facts straights

[KW]

@Person of Interest

It was the obligation of those officers to protect the citizens of their town, even if it meant reporting the actions of their Chief. They covered for the chief, they covered for Rizzo and the council. They all deserve to be unemployed, and unemployable.

The bosses gave the orders, the cops follow them despite knowing that they were both illegal and unethical.

[Insurrextion]

The sheriff dept. are a bunch of cowboys and "regulators."

[Robert T]

Cloes it down baby - one way to get pay back in line with the private sector.

[Robert T]

I especially like the part where the city pays BOTH the employee AND employer portion of the pension contribution. I bet pensions are state tax free to boot. You are being FLEECED taxpayers.

[VERY CONCERNED]

I am a resident of Bell and I find hard to understand why is the corrupted city administrator pedro carrillo spending the city's money on jobs that are not really necesary, why is he rushing to get approvals on new bids for repairs that are not really need it and why he doesnt take a pay cut from his $250000.00 salary?? and mr casso's legal fees are to high, why cant be regulated and nobody is saying a word about his charges?? it's like we gave him and carrillo the gold master card, they are also taking a lot of money from the city and yet nobody speaks about that. THEY are also currupted people that are not doing really a good job in the administration of funds. Also why the leader CRISTINA from the group BASTA and the all group of BASTA protecting the bell PD ?? why is the union of the bell PD paying cristina and supporting the campaing for the candidates from the BASTA group?? is it something missing here that we dont know and or something that they don't want us to know. Thats the BIG question. All we know is that those candidates from the BASTA group are not really honest as they say they are.. If they win, we all are going to face corruption again, and if that happenns then I am out of here.