Title deserves every penny. He is a brilliant man with a solid plan. There is a lot to be done to clean up the mess that was made, but I like what I am seeing. Happy to have my kids in Fairfield Public Schools with David Title at the helm.

You mean like when he doesn't take stances on issues? The things to be "done" are to reduce the amount of central office employees on this list. It is absolutely absurd. I know many of the central office staff on this list and they ate not worth this. This is the reason our kids aren't getting what they need, because all the money is going to central office and staff. The teachers, that do deserve to be on this list aren't anywhere near the top 50. Rediculous.

I have every faith that he will "trim the fat". He has already started the process with the Osborne Hill and Riverfield School Principals.

But will he "trim the fat" by replacing Lipman and Toaso with even higher paid principals, as when Title replaced our prior Superintendent, he was hired at an even higher salary than Clark!

How are there so many police officers on this list above the chief?

12.Firefighter Alan Menillo, $160,062;
It's no wonder Al Menillo ran for the RTM in District 4, so that he could protect his rediculous salary!

Where are the OCCUPIERS???
We've identified Fairfield's ONE PERCENT!

How many of these Top 50 Wage Earners are Fairfield residents?

Dr. Title is overcompensated. In an era when so many people are just scraping by, no superintendent of schools is worth $273K. Well, perhaps in a major city. But not in a community the size of Fairfield. Think what could be done if $50K of his salary were put to other uses, such as purchasing books and other supplies.

Stanley-Those who do not live in the town that pays them, will have no problem pushing for higher percentage increases and higher benefits when negotiating new contracts, as the cost of these increases will not be passed on to them.

You get what you pay for in this case.

Hey don, in an era when people are just scraping by does that give them a right to committ larceny, sweep it under the rug and hold public office? Thalt shall not judge.

This is laughable.

Between Title, Fitzgerald and Cullen more than 600k in salary is paid out. Absolutely ridiculous.

And for anyone wondering why these officers and firemen are paid so much is the result of how Officer/Firemen pensions are setup. Distributions are paid based on the avg. of your salary over the last 5 years of employment. It's unwritten code within "the force" that the senior guys approaching retirement get first rights to all the overtime/ detail opportunities available. They bleed the system. If I was a betting man I'd bet these Officer Friendly's atop the list are a couple years away from floral shirts and margaritas in Boca. Cheers to the men in uniform fighting crime on the perilous streets of Fairfield. "To protect and To Harass"

BRB why don't you go ahead and let me know where I can read the pension agreement.

Where's the other 20% come from?

Smells like Bacon in here people......

It looks like the town needs to hire a couple of extra police lieutenants.

These guys are making way too much overtime pay! (Another Flatto legacy)

(excluding the "outside services" pay that is reimbursed of course)

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

BRB states:

"Some guy named menillo works 90 plus hours a week protecting us, more power to him. "

Yeah......that cop must be at the top of his game at that 50th hour of OVERTIME he worked that week.

Just the person I want "protecting" me........a cop that is sleep deprived!

Nice try BRB.

police officers and firemen's pensions are based on 80% of there base salary after 30 years of employment. The senior officers are not given any extra overtime to fatten up there pensions. There is no fattening of it . It is what it is .

Caitlin--can you please explain a bit more about where the reimbursement for outside costs come from? Is it state grants, federal grants, private grants, etc?

Handing out tickets in Greenfield Hill definitely constitutes 150k+ salaries. Especially when there are 5 other on duty officers making atleast 75k+ patroling the same 5 mile radius. The more the merrier!!

I like to thank both Wayne G/ Hugh Dolan for clarifying how the fire/ police dept. pensions are funded, They fund they're own pensions not tax payers.I support the way the pensions are being funded.I also support the raises for the fire dept. Fairfield firefighters/ police are second to none.As for salaries Mr. Title should be the highest paid base on just his education alone, and others as follows teachers,Ricard White, Fire/police, the Dept of public works.On the other hand i do not support the overtime pay for the police These services should fall into the everyday services of a police officer. The Head of the police union states that fairfielders don't pay for it anyway, it comes from the utility co/ contractor. You don't think the utility company /asphalt contractors don't adjust are utility bills for the reimbursement of your services.Tell that to someone else not Fairfielders. The utlity co/contrators can provide are own flag men for a lot less money.You know the salaries of a police officer before you take the job i f you can't live on that salary then quit or maybe move to another town, but don't nickel and dime fairfielders.

Friends, let's please not let civility and charity go out the window. One can rail all one wants about public servants( note-- I am one ) , but have not we set up proper forums where informed dissent and argumentation( argument: the search for facts ) takes place-- with civility?
Is it not, one wonders, still a foundational principle of this great Republic that a laborer is worthy of his hire? One of the sins crying to heaven for vengeance is cheating the worker of his due. The model was quite clearly laid out by the hiring of the laborers for the vineyard "Have I not the right to pay these men what we agreed ?" Do we go through the town and clench our fists at the banker, the stockbroker, the insurance agent, the paint store owner, exclaiming" I'm paying you too much" ? No, but we do expect them to cash our checks, sell our stocks, write our policies,and paint our homes. And when the job is done as we requested, we happily pay them their due.
Most of us can relax with our families, comfortable in our safe homes, secure as we go from shop to shop and station to store, because there are others amongst us who can't be with their families for evening dinner, for Sunday Mass, for sonny's game, for Bethy's recital, for Thanksgiving dinner. These people are doing the job we asked them to do, so we can be safe with those we love.
Protecting homes, securing streets, repaving roads--these are things without which we can not live. So also charity, civility,fairness.

Let me give a line by line breakdown, Blubby. Fitting name btw.

"Handing out tickets in Greenfield Hill definitely constitutes 150k+ salaries." This is called sarcasm. Unfortunately your intelligence doesn't comprehend such a literary tool. Sarcastic because how on earth can you justify paying an individual such high compensation for the police work of Fairfield. This isn't exactly the crime capital of the world.

"Especially when there are 5 other on duty officers making atleast 75k+ patroling the same 5 mile radius." In my opinion the town is overpoliced. You can't drive to get a gallon of milk without having multiple cruisers pass by, or on the other hand have you pass them by as they sit in a parking lot. I'd love to see how they determine the amount of shift hours allotted per week. Is it based on crime rate? population? how are they justifying so many hours resulting in such high overtime pay. I understand detail work for utilities is reimbursed, but the other overtime?

"The more the merrier!!" This is a blatant jab of disgust. How you couldn't grasp that one is markedly pathetic.

@RBR I've yet to make that trip down to Sullivan Hall to see the good 'ol boys so any apology I may or may not bestow will remain in queue. Once the pension is reviewed I will make further comment. Thanks for your continued concern.

I want to understand the logic behind possibly taking away so many paraprofessionals in the schools and replacing them with teachers. We all know for many reasons the teachers can't and often won't do things the para's have to do like feeding and changing special needs children. As it is several children are sharing para support. The kids are the ones who will get hurt in it all. They don't have a voice to ask for the support they need to keep them safe and thriving.

The reason police and firefighters make so much overtime is because there are not enough of them on per shift and the reason there are not enough of them on per shift is to insure overtime. I do not feel safe in this town. My husband has repeatedly called police to complain of cars parked at the end of our cul-de-sac where we have found drug paraphanalia (we have small children). I do not feel safe when I go out to exercise on the streets of Fairfield, I fear being hit by a speeding or negligent car. I never see speed traps on major roads in this town. My neighbor's houses have been broken into leaving me to wonder if I will be next. No, I do not feel that there enough police on duty at any given time or perhaps they are on duty but not visible?
And yes, I think it is time for the teacher's union, police union, firefighters union to realize that they must contribute to their own retirement just like the rest of us. I contribute 11% of my income to my TSA account and pay part of my benefits and have pay co-pays.

Just One Teacher - I'm sure if you compared your benefit payments and copays, they will be much, much lower than for those in the pubic sector.

This is list is shocking in so many ways. When taxpayers are asked to pay more and sacrifice larger chunks of their income, it would be nice to see some belt tightening and reduction of benefits for our public servants.

Throw out the outliers, the Superintendent of any Fairfield County school district will earn this. But to see the rank and file policeman and fireman receiving far higher salaries and benefits (pensions and healthcare) than all but wealthiest of town residents, is a complete and utter disgrace. It is an act of willful mismanagement.

Even if these income levels are due to overtime allocation, it is even more disgraceful as it is completely avoidable. Shame on you for feeding at the public trough like this.

And guess what? They will raise taxes again and they will take an even larger helping next year.

Our public servants do vital work, but should be paid a lot less than $130 per year.

That is such a simplistic argument. No one is arguing there should be no public servants. In fact, if we paid them less (restricted overtime and reduced benefits) we could hire more officers. There is no reason public servants should have gold standard benefits while the people paying the taxes are getting less and less.

You guys keep getting more and more while people in the private sector are suffering from continuous anxiety over whether they will even keep their jobs, not retire with fats pensions in their 40s like the town public servants, while have their taxes raised to pay for increases in salary and benefits for public servants. It makes no sense and cannot continue.

Newtotown - please move back to where you came from. The last I looked Fairfield policeand fireman are paid less than most of our surrounding towns. There are no fat pensions and no one gets to retire in their 40's plus they don't get social security. They also don't get weekends, holidays off like the private sector, no bonuses or profit sharing, no stock purchase plans. They copay their insurances and fund their pensions themselves. I wish people would just do a little research before they start spewing their lies.

When business do well and get bonuses, you don't see police and fireman getting bonuses? To earn that pay they must have missed a lot of weekends, holiday, and family events. The pay isn't a gift it was earned. On Christmas and weekends they don't stop working. When you call for help, they risk their lives to save yours. How many people can say someone tried to kill me at work today? How many people go home with the image of a child who just committed suicide in their heads? How many people run into unstable burning buildings?
As the economy declines, crime is on the incline. Police and Fireman dying in the line of duty has significantly increased. Most times they do their job without even a thank you. I'm not sure you can put a price on the services they provide.

NYC helped solve the overtime problem of stearing overtime to the most senior police officers by mandating that overtime has to be evenly distributed and no one can do more than x hours of overtime a month. I could be wrong but I thought overtime (or total pay) was calculated into the pension formula. To the misguided above...there are tons of people in the private sector that work evenings, weekends, and holidays. In fact I would guess anybody in the private sector making over $100,000 a year is putting in the same or more hours of work than the above police and fire put in. We all work hard for our lively hoods. Think of the above pay scales in a different light....as a town if we have our public servents making more than the average "earned" income of the tax payers we are headed in the wrong direction. Also when you have a Chief of Police retire in his 50's when he is still a productive worker makes no sense. I understand he had put in his years of service but think about it....he started out as our dog catcher and worked his way up the ranks, great, but he should have to work until 62+ or some reasonable age to start getting paid his pension. If one want to retire early fine, but we should not start paying out pensions until 62 or 65 type age. All they do is collect a pension at a young age and then get another job. I have heard this over and over and should be an area to be addressed. NYC starting police pay is 30% less than ours.

People need to stop complaining. Being a policeman/fireman is not glamorous. It is not a glamorous life for their families. They work a lot. While you are home with your families sleeping they are out working. When you are home celebrating holidays they are working. They can't just take off work whenever they feel like it. They dont have the weekends to look fwd to for just relaxing. Their children know at any given day, something could happen to their parent. Everyone is so quick to judge/complain/point fingers. How about you take the police/fire test and see how you like it? And I know everyone thinks that Fairfield is a bubble and nothing happens-but think again. There is a lot that goes on that no one hears about...OR there is a lot that COULD go on but the police dept are pro-active and work their butts off in order to stop bad things before they happen. There is more to being a policeman than drinking coffee. I give any of you a week in their shoes and see if you can last.

Thank you Stop Complaining-if you look at those complaining here you will see that they are the regulars who just complain, complain, complain. Yawn! It is like the Boy who Cried Wolf...I've stopped listening to them.

Cops- jerks. 'til you need them. And the people who are complaining on these comments are the ones who call police the most.

All I was trying to say was that if our public service workers make more than the average "earned income" of the taxpayers we are headed in the wrong direction as a town.

Robby, I'm in the pension business for work. If every person retired early then it effects the rest of the people in that pension fund because the hurdle rate of return needs goes up. Simple math. Dave is a great guy and I did not mean to pick on him. As a town, if we have never in the history of the pension fund contributed a nickle and have no town employees doing administrative pension work, and all responsibility falls on the police for hiring administrative, picking plan managers, pension consultants, etc. Then no I would have no problem. Then I would also say taxpayers should not have to contribute then if a pension plan is underfunded. I would say the same about Flatto as he relieves $30,000 a year for ten years of service and can get it before his 60's. That means the pension has to have a million dollars at 3% for the rest of his life. Dave gets over $100,000 a year.

I don't think I was ranting. Just pointing out facts. Actuarially have used a hurdle rate of 8% annual return over the past few years which has been unrealistic.

All I said is the current actuarial assumptions that are used in the industry are around 8%. The way they get that hurdle rate is a backward look at the past 20 or 30 years using a blended rate of return of equities and bonds. But we all know for the past bunch if years its been too high a rate. Just look at the underfunded State of CT or the State of Ohio or Illinois pension program. The majority of the programs we deal with from around the country are underfunded.

Mostly due to the high hurdle rate. Also more plan participants are retiring at younger ages which puts pressure on the individual pension plan. It's happening all around the country.

Fairfield residents are suckers to pay these salaries to government employees...who works for whom?

then add in pension costs you're passing on to your own children...we need Gov Walker

Less than 6% of the US population has "earned"income of $125,000 or great a year

I'm not sure, but remember mid $80,000 for Fairfield. If you take out the top 10% big shot CEO's etc. Would be much much lower

I'm sorry, don't know how to respond but to say we have at least six people who live here that make more than 10 million a year. Those handful as a percentage of earned income wagers verses using the same formula to gage was all I was trying to convey.

Hey, you want to know what is really scary? Stop paying taxes that fund these overpaid government employees and watch their in-cahote cousins confiscate your property. How cushy is that!? Where else are you required to purchase an overpriced service or lose your home? Get real.

I am just thankful that our town is not in hands of people with your attitude. Scary.

http://www.minutemannewscenter.com/articles/2012/02/08/fairfield/news/doc4f32a68805277488662638.txt

And they had Flatto in their corner, too!

"Six months after the Representative Town Meeting rejected a three-year labor agreement negotiated between the Town of Fairfield and its Firefighters’ union, former First Selectman Ken Flatto and the union president signed a memorandum that limits the issues that can be discussed in binding arbitration to three.

Because of this, labor attorney Patrick McHale of Kainen, Escalera and McHale, of Hartford, told the Board of Selectmen a year and a half after the contract was rejected, that he strongly recommended that the Town accept the labor agreement as is, rather than take the matter to binding arbitration."

These guys have been getting spoon fed by the corrupt administration for years. How much more unsavory news about Flatto will come to light?

I love the way that people blame policemen, firefighters and teachers for the financial woes of the town, state and country. No one ever mentions the gross mismanagement of the administrations, banks and elected officials. Try going after the real culprits and not the workers. Fire and police budgets only come to 15% of the whole town budget.

Where to begin? The ignorance of some of these posts amazes me! For those of you who think police and firefighters are overpaid: why don't you try it yourself? I'm going to venture to guess that you would never want to do their job because you think it's below you, or maybe the pay isn't high enough for you, or maybe you're just too scared. Whatever your reason may be, just know that they risk their lives daily to protect yours (despite your ungratefulness). I doubt that they enjoy seeing people at their worst every day: domestic disputes, child abuse, car accidents, suicides. I don't think they look forward to working long hours or holidays and I definitely do not think their families like the idea that their loved ones might go to work one day and never come home. That really has to wear you down after a while. So with that being said, I believe that police officers and fire fighters do not get paid enough and I pray that they stay safe so they can continue to serve and protect the rest of us.

Well said Jane

Jane, your right, where do you start? First off, where do you people even get your information? Pension is based on base salaries which are in the bottom 3rd of the state. Second, this "unwritten rule" is non existent. The overtime opportunities are based upon a rotating list which allows every officer, regardless of "seniority" an equal opportunity for overtime. And thirdly, I'm loving the sarcasm some of you have..."perilous streets of Fairfield"...perhaps you haven't been watching the news lately. Since January 1st there have been sexual assaults, murder suspects captured, drug traffickers found, guns and drugs removed from people and vehicles on car stops, burglaries, robberies, and car jackings just to name a few. That little "bubble" you thought you lived in burst long ago. We are right next to Bridgeport in case you have all forgotten. Over policed??? Is that even possible? Have you ever thought that the crime rate is lower or better yet, nothing compared to our neighboring city, because we are policed at just the right level. Next, "The cops are only a reactionary force and arrive after the fact"...how can they be every where at any given time. If you see something say something so that they can stop it before it happens. Oh but we are "over policed" my bad. And "No One Put a Gun to Their Heads and Forced Them to Take Their Jobs." Your right, because it takes a special person to want such job. Why doesn't anyone criticize how much the average CEO makes?

This sums up this entire post......."Oh.. you're a Cop?? That's cool. I wanted to do that when I was a kid. What do you make?" "WHAT DO I MAKE?? I make holding your hand seem like the biggest thing in the world when someone just tried to hurt you. I make 5 minutes seem like a lifetime when I am fighting a suspect while waiting for back up. I make those annoying sirens seem like angels when you need them. I can make your children breath when they stop. I make myself get out of bed at 3am to risk my life to save people I've never met. I make it possible to keep back the chaos everyday. I make going to work for your family's safety a duty that I will die for. I make myself work holidays, nights, during hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters. Today I might make the ultimate sacrifice to save your life. I make a difference, what do you make?"

Well said John! People get stuck on the words "public servant" and feel it is just that. The sad truth is that the ones complaining will be the first to complain during a tragedy that Fairfield was not prepared- they are always looking to blame.

Hey Andy since when is 36% a majority. 18 cops on the list of the top 50 makes the police dominating the list, not when u do the math. PS 18 cops out of 105 of them . why is this list even published. why dont we publish the salary of every tax payer in town. im sure there would be no "PUBLIC SERVANTS" on that top 50.

Fairfield Resident, thank you for stating that obvious fact - "No One Put a Gun to Their Heads and Forced Them to Take Their Jobs." Although I'm not sure why you capitalized most of those words, the statement you made is true. There is something about police and fire fighters that makes them go into that line of work. Many do it because they have a genuine desire to help others (maybe that is something you can't comprehend). But why would anyone consciously choose to put themselves in a position that causes him/her to risk his/her life? Probably because he/she figured it was decent pay, good benefits and job security. Don't get me wrong, the compensation they recieve is not enough. Is $60,000 a year enough to get you to run into burning buildings? The question we should all be answering is: What price would it take to make you do a job where any day could be your last? To do the job they do, serving so many different functions and risking their lives, one would think their base salary should be much higher than it is. Personally, I think it should start at $100,000 (and that is still probably too low). Wow! You are probably shocked and appalled that I said that. Well, too bad. They put themselves in harms way to help others and we should all be thankful for that.

Jane Doe
We have eighteen police officers making over $150,000.00 a year in what they call outside services . Jane i don't know who created this wind fall for the police Dept but it stinks for Fairfielders hey if i was a cop i'd chase the pot of gold too because that is what it is.Look jane we could hire at least 15 more full time police officers at $80,000.00 per year and still save nearly $1,500.000.00 And what a nice refund check that might be to a senior citizen.i agreed with how both the firefighter and police pensions are already funded.I wish that we could continue this discussion applying real numbers and the truth that people understand. Mark Carroll

With CT having the highest electic rates in the country you would think UI would be pushing to use their own Flag men and women instead of hiring police at a higher cost which only gets passed (costs) on to consumers. One would think this is an area that Dems and Reps could agree on and work to change the system.

John Jameson...It might change how we operate if police were not used as flagmen for UI. These police could be deployed to more important areas, we might be able to add people to our police force, our police would have less hours of overtime which might make them a more productive workforce when they are on duty, and it might help lower UI's costs which one could only hope would trickle down to lower electric bills for all.

Iamspartacus
This the reason you don't deserve the money received ,because you can't handle the pressure of a debate, your childish..

iamspartascus....Is that what you really believe? I would think our highly skilled police would be better used in other areas than being flagmen and women. Right now UI outsources flag responsibilities to local police instead of using thier own personel dictated by law (I think).

Well well the opposition leaves the thread for the weekend and look how many good 'ol boys come out of the woodwork. Well the opposition is BACK. @RBR calling down to Sullivan Independence Hall tomorrow. You've crucified everyone on this thread to utilize concrete facts, yet you yourself have offered nothing beyond "police pensions are based on 80% of base salary and are only vested after 30 years of service" Certainly there's more to the plan than that isn't there? I've repeatedly asked you where the other 20% comes from, and you've repeatedly brushed my questions away. If you are as learned as you make yourself out to be regarding the Fairfield Police Pension program should that not be an easy question for you to answer? I'm baffled that you continue to elude my DIRECT question. So what is it? Are you just regurgitating knowledge spewed on here by other commenters, who unless they identify themselves hold no credibility as truly knowing THE FACTS, or are you a PRODUCT of the system? Please let us know. Until then I'll let your uninspiring and pathetically repetitive crusades to defend the "public servants" of this community fall by the wayside.

Southporter, what is it you don't understand? Their pensions are equal to 80 percent of their salary. There is no other 20 percent being chipped in by anyone to make it 100 percent of their salary. It's 80 percent. It's a simple concept.

As a townie, I think the police starting salary should be $100k. I am not a police officer but I did some research and it was eye opening. It is impossible to get hired as a Ffld Cop.They hire less than 1% of those that apply, about 700 applicants for 2-3 spots. A friend told me to get the job you need to pass a written exam (math, memory, reading comp, logic)physical agility-eye & hearing test-stress &-drug test-polygraph - psych test-credit check- background & ref check-full medical exam-5 interviews at PD-Commiss review, etc.That just gives you the right to go to the academy where they say coursework is now just as hard as the physical aspect - slip up on anything and you get canned. I was also told something very interesting…that at the FPD now they have ex-corp execs, teachers, FBI Grad, Naval Intell Officers, people with graduate degrees, officers who speak many languages, martial arts experts, software programmers, and ex-finance people to name a few. I think all us of in Fairfield need to come to grips that this profession has evolved into an uber-elite job not unlike being a lawyer, doctor, or an engineer. Listen, I do not have a horse in this race, I just want the best for the town, and how else do you reward someone who is in such a hard group to get into in the first place. And I am sorry most people on here seem that life passed them by and they never hit it rich in the private sector,but blame that on the PD? Really? Sounds like jealousy to the nth degree.

BTW - Does anyone know anything else about the attempted home invasion during the day on Redding Road a few weeks ago? I heard the FPD caught the trio in like 5 minutes near the Mercado and all involved are safe, is this true? I got this from someone at the gas station near Cedar Road.

Slums...you are right. We have very qualified people on the force. I talked with one who told me came from Air Force. That's one of the points I was trying to stress, that we have a highly skilled force that is doing flag duty where most of those flag jobs should be handled by UI.

Slums...did not hear about Redding road. But heard our new anti-terror police boat was used. Call came in about two people in a row boat in LI Sound. Boat goes out and finds two duck hunters who did not want to be bothered.

Southporter...I am just very curious what it is you have against our police force? And there is no 20%. The pension is 80% of their base salary, period (A Top Step Patrol Officer makes $66,908 without overtime. This is in the bottom 3rd of police salaries in the State of CT)

As for everyone else....UI and the other utility companies are required to hire a cop any time a road closure is necessary or anytime there will be an "open hole" in the road. This a done as a precaution for public safety. A flagger who gets paid $10 hr is going to care less if you drive your car into that ditch.

Also, the officers are taking these outside jobs because their salaries do not allow them to provide for their families. Either raise their salaries or leave this flagger crap alone.

Well said John Doe... and I will again pose the question: what salary would all of YOU want to do a job that requires such sacrifice and risk?

I can see where a police officer would be needed if a road is being all torn up, but you have to admit there are many times they are not needed. As far as working overtime as the only way to support their family. With the majority of residents making less and having their property taxes sky upwards over the past dozen years, people are frustrated with the system all around. I would have to guess that the majority live outside of Fairfield where costs are lower.

Knowing some of the towns officers personally, you would be suprised how many actually live in town....Southport and Greenfield Hill includes. Most of these officers pay taxes in the same town you and I do. Please don't assume there are from other towns.

And I'm sure UI hires them for insurance purposes as well. I wouldnt want that liability if an accident occurred on even a minor project.

The police, fire, teacher and any other government union can easily end the resentment expressed here and throughout the US by giving up their government pensions and signing on to social security like all the rest of the taxpayers. What makes you so special?

I having nothing against the individuals who make up the force. Some are good-natured people, others I have some choice words for. My earlier comment about the pension program was based off an article I had read this summer about the Easton Police Pension: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Some-Easton-police-officers-will-collect-two-1661136.php
The article states: "The officers' Easton pensions will be based on an average of their three highest paid years of municipal service, including overtime pay, workers' compensation payments and the value of food, lodging and fuel." Evidently neighboring communities have very different methods of deriving a pension. It wasn't like I lobbed my accusation out of nowhere. Similar communities, both are police pensions.

Can you explain to me what a Top Step Patrol Officer is? Not familiar with that term. Also how many hours a week do officers work per their salary. Lastly, can we confirm it is indeed 30 years on the force before you can take distributions from the pension? Surely not everyone lasts 30 years on the force. What is the vesting time table?

My concerns lie in the amount we compensate these individuals. The hierarchy in administrative, education and police/fire is as fat as a cow. Private Sector has slimmed all operations down= efficient. Public not so much. Does it seriously take umpteen 6-figure Lieutenants to bust some kid for graffiti behind Ludlowe?

Make it legal to carry arms and watch the crime rate drop.

Let me brake it down for you:
-There are several pay grade (steps) based on how many years you serve. Top step patrol officer is a patrol officer who has attained highest pay for his rank.
-Top step Officer: $66,908
-Top step Detective: $71,972
-Top step Sergeant: $77,440
-Top step Lieutenant: $89,783
Again these are in the bottom 3rd of police salaries in CT.

Other than Capatins and Chiefs (both of which are not part of the Police Union), there is no base salary in the Fairield Police Department which is "six figures" as you mentioned.

Also, we really cannot compare apples to apples here other private and public, CEO and cop. Very very different things.

There is such a thing as being over-qualified for a job. If it happens in the private sector you get turned away. Apparently here we jump at people with credentials to take these positions. Then we expand the budget to accommodate such credentials and justify it to the taxpayers by saying "it's okay he speaks 7 languages, you're safer now, you should be thanking us." Not how it works.

This is obviously a very heated topic. Look how many comments it has generated. Would love for some sort of in-person public forum to be held by the town for the citizens to voice their concerns/support regarding the pay "public servants" in Fairfield are earning.

Yes the private sector has "slimmed" operations, but that has mostly been at the expense of the "worker bees" and not the highly paid executives, most of whom still continue to collect perks and bonuses, while the underlings have gone without raises for years.
Perhaps the town should cut its entire workforce by, say 20 percent. The complaints will start when roads don't get paved, or the snow doesn't get cleared fast enough, when the garbage piles up in the cans at parks and beaches, when the beaches don't get raked, when there aren't enough cops on a shift and the calls stack up and when the quality of their kids' education takes a nosedive.
And you know what happens then? All that cost-cutting means larger tax bills, because homes are worth less, businesses leave and people stop moving to town.

The salary constitutes a normal 40 hour work week.

And please stop using this "public servants" term. They are not your servant. I'm sure you pay yours more than they make any way. They are men and women who took an oath the protect the residents and visitors of this town. They make it a safe place to live. They make a difference!

John Jameson....EXACTLY!!!!

Once again....to everyone.....
BASE SALARY = Pay not including overtime! See my post above for BASE SALARIES!
For the amount of money certain officers made after working their asses off....see the article. And the article even mentions that most of this money is made as a result of overtime and outside jobs.

Police Officer Gary Wikman, $167,189 (includes $48,430 in outside services for which the town is reimbursed)

What is his base salary? 167,189-48,430= $118,759

Is that not right?

Wrong....what the article does not include is Department Overtime (Training, Extra Shifts, etc). The base salaries are as I noted above and according to the current contract between the town and police force.

Okay so on top of the $48,430 Gary Wikman earns from outside services, I'm guessing this is the utility work, he then earns another $51,851 in miscellaneous Depart Overtime. Is this guy working 100+ hours a week? Is that who I want protecting me? It was said there are many physical tests one must pass in order to just get admitted to the academy. By the end of the week I don't think this guy could catch me if I took his donut. If you can defend this one, John Doe, let's get you a uniform.

We should tone it down...to the police advocate. I worked for the Riot Relief fund NYC police for a while. Road in car for different shifts....I saw more horrible crime in one shift than Fairfield sees in a year. They get paid a lot less and would love to change places. One reason we have so many apply. To the rest.....we really need to work on all Rep and Dem power leaders as the Flatto closed door deals and secret MOUs style of poor government have to stop. By reading above it sounds like the police contract is very complicated and should be streamlined. We are all trying to control costs. When I was on TPZ the police wanted an auxiliary police type station at new train station. Lucky we were able to stop that.

Perhaps an auxiliary station wouldn't have been a bad idea. I remember reading an article about a 14 year old girl that a police officer found unconscious on the platform after possibly being drugged and raped. Just a shot in the dark but maybe the cop at that station could have caught the guy. Obviously security there is doing nothing!

And you cannot compare NYC to Fairfield, CT with pay and crime rates. Apples to apples here. I'm sure if NYC had the money they would pay their officers better. It comes down to sheer numbers. I also hope you don't think crime in this town is non-existent. That would be a horrible miscalculation.

For clarification:

Overtime for both firefighters and police officers is included in the gross salaries that were given by the Finance Department. Outside services are also included, but have been noted to reflect the portion of pay that is reimbursed to to the town.

Outside services and overtime are two different sources of income.

Pension/benefits are not included in the numbers above.

@John Doe before you jump down my throat about using the term "Public Servants" why don't you do yourself a favor and scroll up to Hugh Dolan's comment....oh what's that...he used the term public servant and he is an elected official. You've inferred that I used it in a degrading manner. Don't get trigger happy that I reused something he did!!

And your comment "If NYC had the money they would pay their officers better" What makes you think Fairfield, compared to the city, has the budget to spend more on officers. You're calling for a socialist society. Let's level the wealth in this town so we can pay town employees as much as we possibly can? No thanks.

@JaneDoe lighten up. We both feel passionately about this. Because I cracked a joke I automatically become a coward? Think again. I didn't jump in this to bow out. I'm not sure where to start as far as having a town recognized public hearing, but as there appears to be interest in one maybe we could make a collective effort to put something together. We may be in VERY different opinion on this subject, which is inherently entitled, but at the end of the day we live in the same town and a public forum is probably just what we need for transparency and awareness.

Geeee!!

I guess you were all right to begin with.

I should have chosen a different career path and been a "thug".....errrrrrrr.....I mean.......a "police officer".

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=90c_1329147962

'Southporter' said something about being over qualified and we dont need someone who speaks "7 languages" to keep us safe. WRONG...maybe not 7 languages (you said 7 sarcastically, not me), but keeping people "safe" is just one aspect of a being a cop. You need to be part doctor, lawyer, parent, guidance counselor, teacher, enforcer, body guard, liason, civil litigator, mental health expert, friend, etc. Your old fashioned belief that being a cop is one-dimensional and not elite is wrong. I am glad we hire less than 1% of applicants, you get what u pay for! pay them a $100,000 base salary.

Just went on the Police Academy (Merdien) website. Police need to be proficient in: Criminal Law, arson, suicides, mental health issues, search and siezure, gangs, traffic, shooting, hand to hand combat, accident reconstruction, negotiation, hazard materials, medical/MRT training, human anatomy, narcotics, felony stops, computer crimes, DUI, hate/bias crimes, building search/scene safety, interview/interrogation, victim assistance, alzheimers patients, liability, crime prevention, civil complaints, auto theft, ethics, identity theft...list goes on and on . I think a $100,000 base is more than justified!

What does that have to do with a discussion of salaries in Fairfield?

ALL OF YOU PEOPLE NEED TO GET A LIFE OR A JOB OR BOTH

Why are we switching the topic to the Baltimore Police? Probably because you couldn't find anything like that in Fairfield? Not suprising though being that the officers in Fairfield are pretty damn good at what they do. We are so close to Bridgeport that if it were not for them and their presence your property values would be crap and crime wouample rampant.

Amo Probus, you sound so jealous and bitter. Your daughter does not wear a bullet-proof vest when she sits in her little cubicle and does her research in a nice, well-lit office all day, and I bet not one fellow scientist spits at her, or pulls a knife on her when she is looking down her microscope lens, and she will get a nice pay increase eventually. She had to pass one hurdle to get that job, being born smart, cops have to pass about 15-20 hurdles, including being smart, to get their job. As a resident still I say pay them $100,000 base and supplement this base with great benefits!

It's nice to see that some of you actually look into the facts about Police and Fire Department salaries. What most of you don't understand is the time away from their families to make these salaries. How many of you complainers have holidays and weekends off? How many of you have to work the night shift? The police and Fire department personnel take these jobs knowing that their base salaries are low and that they will be giving up a lot for very little. They take these jobs knowing that they will have a secure pension when they retire. They work over time to make their families lives better.

It's to bad that some of you, Southporter and Fairfield resident, don't live in an area that charges a fire tax and for other services. Don't pay the tax, and watch the fire department respond to watch your house burn down. It would be nice to have you on a list of where not to respond when you need help. Oh, and I bet the Fairfield Police and Fairfield Fire Department are the first people you call when you hear a bump in the night or smell an odor of smoke.

Move if you don't like what your getting for your tax money!

Has anyone read the article on delinquent tax payers in town? That is something people should be upset about! We shouldn't be annoyed about people working really hard and helping others to earn a living.

Amo Probus asked : "What makes you (Police) so special?
Answer: "..to get the job you need to pass a written exam (math, memory, reading comp, logic); physical agility; eye & hearing test; stress test; drug test; polygraph; psycholigical test; credit check; background & ref check; full medical exam; 5 interviews at PD; Commissioner review, etc.That just gives you the right to go to the academy where they say coursework is now just as hard as the physical aspect - slip up on anything and you get canned. I was also told something very interesting…that at the FPD now they have ex-corp execs, teachers, FBI Grad, Naval Intell Officers, ex- NYPD Officers; people with graduate degrees, officers who speak many languages, martial arts experts, software programmers, and ex-finance people to name a few.."

For any skilled job there are many requirements and it is good to see that they are no different than the rest of us as far as lots of hurdles to pass thru for their job requirements. Amo Probus daughter's starting salary is roughly the same as the industry that I am in. And yes we have people who work the early shift from 4 am to 12 noon so just like lots of different industries. I have an acquaintance who used to work in a town fairly close by and is now with fairfield and he tells me he loves it here as his pay is higher, his benefits are much greater, and a great pension. He appreciates working for Fairfield and I appreciate his love for his job. For some reason there seems to be bitter people on here that don't seem to appreciate the great careers they have with us. He told me all the overtime that G. Wilkman takes is an inside joke on the force for what ever that is worth.

A great person to speak with is Al who was the police chief of westport. He is a very open person and I asked him a bunch of questions when we were given the anti-terror police boat to be in charge of Zone 1 of LI Sound.

Emotions are high here, and understandably. The economy is tough and a lot of folks are out of work. High taxes and enviable salaries are going to raise some ire, regardless of whether deserved. The same is true of those on the police force or fire dept., their loved ones and friends, are going to be defensive, and do honestly have a different perspective on their jobs then those criticizing.

The fact is, the salaries are market. If they were too low, applicant quantity would fall too low to support a department. If they were slightly low, applicant quantity would fall too low for a good selection. If they are too high, the applicant rate would dwarf the openings. I think we can all agree, the applicant rate is dwarfing the openings. Therefore, the only legitimate debate is whether we actually need such a high population of highly qualified folk applying. That is a legitimate question, and if the folks on the pay to high side of the argument feel that way, they need to create a debate (not an insult ridden fight) on that topic if they wish to evoke change. Let's face it though, most want to vent, not change.

As for how tough the job is, again, it's a market. Hugh said something about them doing the job we ask them to do. Well, that's a bit romantic. They aren't slaves or conscripts. These men and women sought these jobs, they are compensated, and if they feel that compensation is insufficient, they can leave.
(Continued)

Continued from above...
It isn't true that these are the only dangerous jobs. Plenty of jobs have dangers, physical, heights, equipment, weather, and crime! And it hurts credibility to claim amazing credentials and too much danger. Iif the credentials are strong, other opportunities exist. And yes, there is nobility in these positions, they do serve the public, but ere is a level of excitement as well. I'd be surprised to hear that any police or fire person doesn't enjoy at least some of that, otherwise, why subject yourselves to it?

The unions are very strong, Fire more so than Police, but Police too. And let's not forget that a lot of that overtime work is mandated by law, lobbied for by the unions. The unions have employed very impressive techniques, e.g. limiting the number of items which can be negotiated at some given time. The private sector significantly lowers starting salaries, during bad economic times, to capitalize on the rich employment market. A benefit of a union position is general immunity from that. Regardless, there is nothing wrong with taxpayers calling for these changes in hard times, though some of you could have done it with a bit more style. It is a waste of time though, the u ions really are too strong.

I've got a conservative lifestyle which results in very little interaction with the police, but I've had some, continued...

I think the point people are missing is that even though 700 apply for 2-3 spots, not all 700 can do the job (see my earlier posts on hurdles, and police academy coursework). Of those 700, I was told only 20 passed everything over a years period of interviewing/testing, those 20 then met with the police commissioners for that final interview, then 2-3 got hired. See my point? it ain'nt the private sector, its not that 700 applied like in advertising or for a consumers packaged goods company and maybe 300-400 could actually do the job..see my point? when safety and lives (not a balance sheet or profit) are at stake you have to be hyper-selective

Very well said Creeky...I for one am very frustrated as my property taxes have almost tripled in 12 years for a dumpy little Cape. As a town under the Flatto Folly model we seemed to never say no to anything and have continued to expand our cost structure. From bonding 14 and under girls softball field, bonding a skate board park, and the new Metro center that is only being 1/3 used for parking all have a short term and long term cost to the town. So when we read in the paper about secret back door deals and hidden MOU during contract negociations people get upset. We can not continue at the same rate of annual tax rate increases as they are unsustainable for the taxpayer. Write the 1st Selectman, talk to your RTM member, and get involved. I did duty on TPZ which was a thankless position, but I got involved.

Continued...
and witnessed a great deal. I've seen plenty of police officers going about their duties in a concise way, even when those about them are making that as challenging as possible, and I've witnessed abusiveness, including unnecessary physical abuse (spare me the whole I don't know the details, I watched it from beginning to end, and after the guy was cuffed on the trunk of the cruiser, it wasn't necessary to back his head on the trunk, toss him on the ground, and then crack his head on e cruiser doorway three times, even if he did spit on you). I've seen an officer berate a woman at CVS for so long, and with such choice words, that if it wasn't roid-rage, that officer is beyond the need for anger management, he has a mental defect making him unsuitable for service.

I see someone complained about David Peck retiring young. I don't care what it costs to get him out, he ran a department filled with abusive flakes. He clearly was abusive and set that management style, and it pervaded the ranks. The new guy has some actual management experience, let's hope he turns things around. And if you all weren't so defensive of the worst in your bunch, and policed yourselves, your reputation would give your words more bearing.

The number of high ranking officers and their salaries? I agree, one would need to study the structure but, let's be honest. Their are ambitious men and women involved. Who wish to grow their departments and justify higher salaries.
Continued...

Continued...
It isn't true that we need our marine police, And it definitely isn't true that the 911 call about the duck hunters required a marine assault. In fact, those officers don't have any jurisdiction out there. They could have observed from shore, and escalated a response if necessary. But like it or not, the police always maximize the escalation of response. And I'm at least one person who isn't a says it now but will complain when they need you, I don't need or want you on the water. I can't afford it, I don't wish to subject my guests to your abusiveness, you should really stop calling seatow when someone tells you they called towboat. We have our tow insurance with one company, and it isn't necessarily the one you call.

So, a call to examine these structures, and their necessity, in hard times, is legitimate.

The Faifield Police Department is filled with honorable, honest, hardworking, smart, over-achievers....sorry Creeky..

If I have my facts correct in 1980 we had one marine officer and now we have five. We still have two very small harbors that are totally recreational with no import export commerce. For us to maintain a $485,000 anti-terror police boat with high tech gear that requires special training is over kill. Three 300 horsepower outboards that burn a ton of gas. We continue to expand our cost structure.

Steve, remember September 11? The world has'nt changed in 30 years? Yikes! and I was staring to like you.

Title owes us big time, we managed to to cover Sasaquatch, Nueropsychology, the Baltimore PD, and duck hunters, and we all forgot he was number one on the list!!

Just for the record...not that it relates in anyway to the overall topic, the call about the duck hunters was a welfare check. A lot of people on the beach thought someone was in trouble.

R. Ludlowe,

That's hilarious.

As an owner of a contracting co. in fairfield for nearly forty years my arguments towards both the police and fire dept employees for years are as follows, and i welcome all responses. while everyone as the right to be in business. I wonder if we as tax payers should be responsible for there healthcare and or workers comp if they are injured while do outside jobs such as carpentry, landscaping,etc.plenty of these guys are doing this. It seems like double dipping.Personally I'm over it . But i think i have an obligation to speak about the concerns many people in my industry have. Without discussion nothing changes.

slums i agree with you 90 percent are honorable

@ mark How are we paying a town employee workers comp if they are not injured at a town job?I would think if they get hurt while doing something other then working for the town they would get no benefits.Please site your source on this.And since when does it say anywhere that you cant work as many jobs as you want to provide for your family?If I as a single mom worked three or four jobs to provide for my children people would say I was a great person,why should it be any different for a policeman,or fire person or even a teacher to do the same thing?This is America right?

The town does NOT pay workers comp if injured while not on duty. Many officer have supplemental insurance, which they pay for out of pocket, for this type of injury.

@Caitlin, perhaps you could obtain a break down of base salaries, regualr overtime and outside service overtime for these town employees. Maybe that would better demonstrate that they are earning their pay and not just being handed this extra money. Also do you think you could dig up what officer makes in the top paid departments in the state and see how that compares? That may actually make for an eye opening article in and of itself. I'd even be wiling to write it if you could point me in the right direction and provide me with contacts. Thanks!

Wayne
I simply don't want to pay for healthcare/ pensions for those public employees who run outside businesses. As far as workers comp goes just look at the board of Eds workers comp cost. they've double in three years. It's ridiculous. Those aren't normal increases.

Mark - now you are bringing in the Bd of Ed. You never mentioned them in your previous statements. Stop lobbing grenades until you get all the CORRECT info and state your sources.

Since 2000 we have increased the number of teachers by 22% as enrollment is up in the schools. What surprised me is over the same time period BOE has increased administrative positions by 22%.

Wayne
I have brought the board of Ed up in the past. And i did mention the ridiculous workers comp increases..Wayne its a shame that you are taking my questions so personally but i do understand. I won't talk about it with you anymore. I'll take it to another platform. I guess I'm not surprised. Respectively mark

I think a big part of the problem is the selectman and RTM's willingness to increase departments on internal requests. Everybody is ambitious. Those with management responsibilities all want more responsibility, more facilities, more equipment, and more staff to grow their careers. The government should have a very hard stance, if you can't show a cost savings, and there is no referendum, no expansion. No marine police, no skating rink added to the golf department, et cetera. The stats are that ten years ago, half of the country worked in the public sector. In that time, the private sector increased 0.2% and the public sector, 9.2%.

Government/Public Sector is fast becoming the fastest growing industry. Ask an economist; the public sector represents wealth transfer, and is a burden on the economy, the private sector represents wealth creation, and is the economy. Have any of you really considered what this means in tax rates and interest rates over the next 20 years? How fat is your retirement? We have to put the brakes on government/public sector growth. I'm sorry if the police, firefighters, educators, and various town service employees see my remarks as an attack. But, it is going to hurt you too.

I just read a report that the trend of US companies moving jobs over seas has reversed as companies like CAT are expanding in the US and contracting overseas. Have to remember that the faster growing economic regions of the world is where there are the greatest job creations.

Well Jim says it better than most. here you go Amo Probus, steve, southporter, mark,
Jim Eastwood
7:50 am on Friday, February 17, 2012

Good Morning Fair $$$$$$ Field !!
Increase in Taxes
Again !!!!!
PLEASE NOTE TAXPAYERS a 12.94 % DECREASE In Police and Fire Pensions !!!!!! STOP COMPLAINING about Fire and Police Pensions and Stop Trying to Change the System !!!!!!
Does the Board of Education do that ???????
Have a Great Day !!!!!!!!

Looks like this argument has come to a close. The reason our taxes are increasing has NOTHING to do with the police and fire departments. (If you don't know what I'm talking about then check out the new article about the town budget).

Hook and ladder
looks like you have more important business to take care of at the present time

Please also note that the reason for the decrease, by my understanding, is because the pension fund was significantly over funded in the past. Because of this, the town now does not have to put as much money into it annually. Now, if they change to a 401k type pension, this type of decrease would not be possible.

Hook and ladder
look i am the grandson of fire chief carroll. i slid down those poles as kid with my older brothers fran and bob and cousin Bill at the deli. sounds funny to say grandson because i'm going to be a grandfather, and dam i'm hoping for a grand daughter having five brothers and two sons is a enough. Look do understand my comment about the side business. by the way it was men like my grandfather and sulli who founded much of what still exist on reef rd. today.I do appreciate your respect for my grandfather i always said that he and many other irish families in this town never really were recognize for there many years of volunteer services. i'm not going into the who who's but you know families. Mark Carroll

Hook and Ladder
My fight is over, I'm taking the gloves off for you.

Pensioner...I never stated that I was an actuarial. What I said was the actuarial accumptions that have and are being used in the industry are around 8%. This has been a high hurdle rate for lots of Plans around the country. We just have to look next door to New York's problems and our own State. If you look at Fairfield budget for 2012 we have 3.5 million taxpayer contribution to police/fire pension and then it drops to 3 million for 2013 so I am confused by your statement of no contribution in elven years. If our pension investment returns have been better than our hurdle rate (you are right I do not know what rate we use) those stellar investment returns are fantastic. What we have seen at work is more pension consultants pushing to greater asset allocations to alternative investments like hedge funds, private equity, leveraged products (that are taking advantage of the current low interest rate enviorment) etc.. If you see what Governor Cuomo is trying to install is instead of a defined benefit plan is a defined contribution style plan. Going forward you will see more and more plans making changes like this to better reflect the realities of the direction of public plans. Plans are also moving to move the age for retirement higher. These are some of the trends we are seeing in the industry.

Hey Slum Dog,
In response to your question as to why I won't debate you, here is something my momma told me:

Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

are you missing a village or vice versa?

That's wonderful, but see 6.5 million over this year and next in current town budget.

Pensioner. 7% for the unions on their total pay is much higher than what private sector employers pay into social security on behalf of their employees and its capped up to specific salary amounts.
How much do union members contribute to their pensions?

Pensioner....u seem angry. As I said before I think its wonderful if the pension returns have been outstanding. I also mentioned that most plans around the country are underfunded. Taxpayers are adding 6.5 million over this year and next. We are seeing more plans changing their structure to raising the retirement age or using a discounted payout formula for each year of early retirement. Many are moving to more of a 401k style structure with a matching program. Again, I think its wonderful the returns have been stellar.....I just wish they were even better so we would not have to be adding 6.5 million.

Food stampers, cops and firemen are part of this 'taking' mentality:

http://townhall.com/columnists/edfeulner/2012/02/18/a_nation_of_takers

The only thing I"take" is your wife's breath away when she sees me walk by in uniform.

Mid 1980's we had garbage pick up, water sewer tax, and leaf pile pickup all included as part of property taxes. First lost garbage pick up, then bulk leaf pile pick up, then stuck with separate water sewer tax bill

So taxes up even more if add back in water sewer tax