NEW ORLEANS — It's a two-page attorney general's opinion that puts in limbo when the city of New Orleans can pay police officers their promised retention bonuses.
“I have had a number of conversations with officers about this and they've expressed their disappointment,” said Donovan Livaccari with the Fraternal Order of Police.
Livaccari says any potential delays could strain the relationship between officers and city hall. “I think the city needs to make sure that the officers know when they say, ‘We're going to pay these retention bonuses,’ that they're going to pay the retention bonuses and it's going to happen when they say it's going to happen,” said Livaccari.
Bonuses will give officers $5,000 for every five years on the force, with a cap at 20 years.
Payouts are supposed to happen next month, but the AG’s opinion states payments can't happen until a year after city council approval which is in July.
City leaders initially agreed payments would happen a year after the civil service commission adopted them, which was last March. “There's no, not going to happen. That money is ready to go. We wanted to do it in March,” said the city’s Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano.
Montano says for that to still happen the commission and council need to reach an agreement. The opinion from the attorney general supports that, otherwise bonuses will have to wait until July. “Our goal has always been to ensure that our officers are taken care of and have those dollars,” said Montano.
The city council is now working to make sure those dollars aren't held up. “We're going to talk to the CAO's office about making sure everything is going to happen correctly and then get the money allocated and pass to proper provisions to get it in place,” said District A councilman Joe Giarrusso.
When that can happen is unclear. The bonuses are part of an officer retention plan, designed to keep officers on a force struggling with manpower. Giarrusso says putting payments in the hands of officers is too important for a delay, considering the competition from other local and national departments.
“Whatever we can do to try and get people to come to the department within reason, we want to make sure we're right there in line with everybody else,” said Giarrusso. Livaccari says there hasn't been much public discussion from city leaders about the opinion and would like for officers to be better informed.
“It's a little bit out of our control but as a general prospect I think that the city has to be more transparent and fair with its employees and make sure there are fewer surprises,” said Livaccari.
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