JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A revised agreement between of the city of Jacksonville and the Police and Fire Pension Fund was returned to City Council on Monday hours before it was to be introduced at Monday night's meeting.
Last week the board of the pension fund made several changes to the reform agreement passed late last year by City Council and returned it to the mayor's office.
But City Council President Clay Yarborough said he received two revised documents on Monday that were not marked with the same changes -- one from the executive director of the fund director and one from the mayor's office.
DOCUMENTS: Revised ordinance | Revised settlement agreement
Given the size of the document and the late hour, he pulled the introduction of the bill from the agenda of Monday night's meeting -- a decision that sparked a sharp response from the mayor's chief of staff, Chris Hand.
"The pension reform issue has been lingering for more than seven years. I would respectfully ask that you reconsider your decision in light of the City's need to resolve retirement reform for both taxpayers and city employees," Hand wrote.
Yorborough was not pleased, writing back: "The implication that this (delay) somehow bogs down what has been a seven-year process is hollow."
"The bill was approved on Dec. 9, but the mayor did not sign it until today," Yarborough told News4Jax late Monday afternoon. "That basically means the Police and Fire Pension Fund board was discussing a bill that was not, in fact, approved by the city in total."
The fire union's president Randy Wyse said he's worried Jacksonville's public servants are being caught in the middle of a political battle.
"Firefighters want pension reform, we want to get passed us. And I hope none of this is politics or anything like that," said Wyse.