By Tonya Alanez, Sun Sentinel
6:22 PM EST, January 17, 2012
HOLLYWOOD
Police and firefighters are suing the city over drastic pension changes, saying the city used prejudicial ballot language and conducted an improper public relations campaign when it took the issue to voters in a September special referendum.
Nearly 55 percent of Hollywood voters approved the changes which increased retirement ages, eliminated automatic cost-of-living adjustments, altered formulas that calculate pensions and excluded overtime and vacation pay from the plans.
City leaders said pension reform was the only way to overcome a $38 million budget gap. Without it, they said, taxes could rise as much as 23 percent.
The lawsuits were filed Thursday in Broward Circuit Court on behalf of the board of trustees for both the police officers and firefighters retirement systems.
The complaints contend that ballot language was "prejudicial" and "slanted in favor of referendum passage" and the campaign leading up to the election gave "one-sided and misleading explanations."
The lawsuits ask for a permanent injunction against the ordinances enacting the pension changes and a reinstatement of the retirement system and all associated benefits.
City spokeswoman Raelin Storey declined to comment on the lawsuits, saying city officials had just received them Tuesday and were "in the process of reviewing them."
Copyright © 2012, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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