Providence Fire Bosses - $700,000 in ‘Illegal’ Severance Pay
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A new report from the city’s Internal Auditor has found that a dozen senior managers in the Fire Department were paid $722,000 over the last three years as severance for unused sick time—without authorization from the city council as required by ordinance.
The report comes on the heels of a series of GoLocalProv reports on benefits paid out to city managers that either were not authorized by ordinance or directly violate it.
“I think it confirms my suspicion that you have administrators that think they’re above the ordinances and above the City Council and it has been in my eyes providing benefits that are not authorized by ordinance,” said Councilman Miguel Luna, who co-authored a letter with Councilman Davian Sanchez earlier this year requesting the audit. “That is a violation in my eyes. It is mismanagement of funds and I do not accept the excuse of past practice.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLuna said the city should seek repayment of the funds, investigate who authorized them, and possibly bring charges against those responsible.
A city spokesman yesterday was not able to confirm in time for publication whether the practice of paying out severance without council authorization—which has continued under the first months of the Angel Taveras administration—would be halted or not.
Union leader: Taveras sends mixed message on shared sacrifice
“I call on Mayor Taveras to follow the law as it applies to severance pay,” said Paul Doughty, head of the city firefighter union, which is currently negotiating possible concessions with the city. “Additionally, I expect him to seek repayment of any illegal payments made on his watch. To do otherwise sends a mixed message of the fiscal condition of the city and further diminishes, and unfairly applies his call for shared sacrifice.”
Doughty noted that Clarkin’s report only addresses sick time, not unused vacation time, which city ordinance limits to 120 days. He said he knew for a fact that non-union managers in the department had also been paid in excess of 120 days in unused vacation time as severance. He pointed to another city ordinance which does not even authorize the city to pay non-union personnel severance for any unused sick time.
“Even if they’re submitted to the council, they’re illegal,” Doughty said. “There never should have been severance for the council to approve.”
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