Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tribune article:
By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 22, 2012
TAMPA —
Charges of parliamentary trickery and partisan grandstanding enlivened a largely meaningless debate about county commissioners’ pay at the tail end of Wednesday’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting.
With all other business taken care of and the clock ticking toward 5 p.m., Commissioner Kevin Beckner revived his call for commissioners to accept any pay cuts they impose on county workers in the future.
Beckner had tried to get commissioners to make such a vow Jan. 19, but he was outmaneuvered by commission Chairman Ken Hagan, who put forth substitute language to make commission pay cuts voluntary.
On Wednesday, Hagan’s motion came forward for a final vote on the consent agenda, a long list of items that commissioners usually vote on in a block with no discussion.
But Beckner pulled the item off the consent agenda and reiterated his claim that Hagan’s language was “meaningless” because the Legislature passed a law last year allowing commissioners to voluntarily reduce their pay.
“It’s basically rehashing what’s already in force and again it kind of negates the whole idea,” Beckner said.
Beckner made a motion to add language saying commissioners would accept any pay cuts County Administrator Mike Merrill recommends for employees.
Merrill has already said he won’t recommend any pay cuts in next year’s budget. In fact, he said he is considering a one-time salary increase.
Beckner’s motion was not seconded immediately and other commissioners queued up to speak on the matter. Sandy Murman said she would voluntarily cut her pay.
Hagan, repeating almost verbatim points he made last month, said commissioners had already shown leadership by reducing their car allowance in 2007 and reducing their pay in 2009. Collectively, the reductions amounted to about $4,500 a year.
“No other government has sent a clearer picture to their employees than Hillsborough County,” Hagan said . He then proceeded to read a list of surrounding counties that had not reduced their pay since 2006.
Murman then made a substitute motion to leave policy as it is, with commissioners allowed to voluntarily reduce their pay. Hagan seconded the substitute motion.
But Commissioner Les Miller pointed out that no one seconded Beckner’s original motion so there could be no substitute. Hagan quickly said Murman’s substitute motion was really a new motion.
That prompted rounds of parliamentary discussion, substitute motions and bickering among commissioners.
In the end, commissioners voted 5-2 to support Murman’s motion, which left everything the same as it was before the nearly 30-minute debate. Beckner and Higginbotham voted no.
