Home  >  Nebraska  >  NE Video Special: Where’s the city’s $6 million?

NE Video Special: Where’s the city’s $6 million?

By   /   December 19, 2012  /   10 Comments

Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

OMAHA—Are taxpayers out $6 million because of the city council’s new contract with the Omaha Fire Union?

The Mayor says yes while one councilman says “maybe he just wasn’t told where the money was.”

But City Finance Director Pam Spaccarotella says this is not a “budgetary misunderstanding” and the city is out $6 million.

Watch Nebraska Watchdog’s exclusive interview with Councilman Chris Jerram.


YouTube

 

 

Please, feel free to "steal our stuff"! Just remember to credit Watchdog.org. Find out more

Joe Jordan

  • Kevin

    Pam needs to quantify, or keep quiet.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Harbert/100001406372795 David Harbert

    Is it any wonder that budgets balloon when republicans take care of negotiations?

  • resistwemuch

    dave: what planet are you from?

  • Jazzee

    you seriously think Jean stothert is a republican?? and what did suttle negotiate? he didn’t even get in writing what they agreed to in the beginning therefore fire could head on down to CIR and cost the city they all suck at the job because the unions control all of them

  • Jazzee

    Hey nebraskas watchdog have you heard any news about Jim Flowers and some of Omaha’s finest involved in a prostitution deal??? or can you confirm if Flowers was fired or where he is????? you used to be a good investigative journalist seems lately slacking and wow no information on the contract just passed for the fire union –you know facts the taxpayers might like to know the herald does an awful job

  • Hunyock

    The problem is that the City Council’s contract gives the firefighters larger raises than what was estimated in Mayor Suttles contract. Thus higher cost to the city. Stothert can brag all she wants about how she got the firefighters to pay 1% more of their salary into the pension fund, but if she is giving them 4% more than Suttle over the next three years in raises so the firefighters com out way ahead. Also, I really wish that Stothert would treat the Emergency fund for just emergencies and not to just fix her bad math.

  • Hunyock

    Jazzee, The mayor did get the Firefighters to agree to the original contract, so he did get it in writing. The problem was when the City Council voted down the Mayor’s contract, everything was back on the table. Now after 16 months, we end up with pretty much the original contract…except for the 12 million in back pay we had to pay the firefighters in back pay due to the CIR rulings, Millions in higher bond payments due to our losing our Triple A bond rating, the cost of TWO outside negotiators, (one cost us $140,000. Don’t know about the other), millions added to the unfunded pension liability due to waiting another 16 months while firefighters could retire with spiked pensions and now we find out that they get more in raises than Suttles contract over and above any savings Stothert might have gotten with her Pension negotiations.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kenriter Ken Riter

    Jean Stothert has a lot to answer for.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kenriter Ken Riter

    Its interesting that Jean Stothert claimed some of her fellow council members were bought by the Union. Fact is the Union helped her out during her campaign.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kenriter Ken Riter

    There is a considerable amount of cost that people like Jean Stothert are trying to brush under the rug.