Healdsburg Reserve Police Officer Hired, Force Gets OK for 2nd Recruitment

Ian Benner didn't have to wait too long to get in the sworn ranks of the after his as a Healdsburg Reserve Police Officer.

On Tuesday, Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke told Benner his time on the reserve bench was over and he was being hired as a full time sworn officer.

"I'm really excited," Benner said. "Really happy."

Benner, who is in the final stages of his police training, will start on Aug. 19, replacing another officer who resigned.

Benner will be the first police officer hired under the new earlier this year to stem the city's bleeding of red ink.

A new police union contract, still awaiting final approval, is expected to include the second tier pension levels for new hires.

Benner's hiring is the first of two for the police department, which, in addition to the resignation, has another officer out on long-term disability and a third future vacancy with the departure of Lt. Kevin Young, set to retire in February.

On Monday, Healdsburg City Council gave Burke authority to begin recruiting for an officer to fill Young's spot.

Council's approval was needed because the police department's final 2012-13 budget only allows for 15 sworn officers. If the second new hire takes place before Young leaves, the department may temporarily go to 16 sworn officers -- meaning that Burke needed Council approval to exceed the budgeted staffing.

However, once Young leaves, the staff level will return to the budgeted limit, Burke said.

"We need to hire up front in advance of expected vacancies," Burke said. "Police hiring takes a long time."

Healdsburg City Council unanimously authorized Burke to begin recruiting for the 16th sworn officer position.

However, council members were adamant that the new hire -- and Benner's emergency hire to replace the officer who resigned -- be done under the second tier pension benefits level, even though CalPERS, the state retirement system, has not yet approved Healdsburg's application to add the second tier.

City Manager Marjie Pettus said she was not clear when CalPERS would act on the city's application to add a second tier.

"I'm feeling frustration," said Councilmember Jim Wood. "In a perfect world,  once we have made the decision (to go to a second tier), we ought to be able to move on it."

After months of struggles and discussions over the budget and several workshops on pension issues, "it would be a shame to not be able to enact the structural changes we have put in place," Wood said.

Councilmember Tom Chambers said he would not allow any new hires unless it were under the second tier.

"If we don't make that stipulation, it's not going to happen," Chambers said. "Why we're doing this is, we want everyone to be able to keep their jobs --there's a way for everyone to win."

Burke said that Benner is being hired as a temporary full time employee, "because the second tier is not yet in place," he said Thursday. "When the second tier is implemented, then he will become a permanent full-time employee."

Although details of the police union contract have not yet been released, the proposed second-tier would make new city police hires eligible to retire at age 50 and receive pension benefits equal to 2 percent of their salaries for every year of service, according to staff in the Healdsburg Human Resources Department.

That is reduced from the current system, which allows for retirement at age 50 with 3 percent of the salary for every year of service.