Lexington, KY - 2009: Earlier this year, Mayor Jim Newberry promised to place $30 to $35 million a year in the police and fire pension fund as a way to fully fund the pension plan, which the city has been shorting for years. The money is in addition to $72 million that the city was ordered to pay after four police officers won a lawsuit forcing the city to make up for not contributing enough in the past. But some fear that the city, with budget issues looming, won't make good on Newberry's promise to bond the needed funds.
"Worse comes to worse, we'll go to court," said Tommy Puckett, a retired police officer, a member of the pension board and one of the original officers who sued the city.
2010: More worrisome to many firefighters and police officers than the pension is the threat of layoffs: "What's getting ready to hurt morale is the budget," predicted Mike Sweeney, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Bluegrass Lodge No. 4. Newberry recently announced a $13 million shortfall for the current budget, and many city workers are worried that reductions may mean layoffs, especially in departments like police and fire, where personnel costs run high.
On a more positive front, planning board member Derek Paulsen, a professor of criminal justice at Eastern Kentucky University, hopes the city will adopt a program to encourage safer business and residential developments. Called Safe By Design, the program encourages developers to follow guidelines that have proved to deter criminals. Most of what the program calls for is simple and can easily be accommodated at the design phase, said Paulsen. It includes attention to lighting, locating trails to provide natural surveillance and well-placed plantings. By the end of 2010, Paulsen hopes to have several developments working toward certification.