Two police union bosses in Fort Lauderdale got head-turning raises in January that took both city leaders and the police chief by surprise.
The raises, done outside the union contract, only came to light in August after City Hall got a public records inquiry about them. Together, they amount to more than $105,000 for one year alone.
After looking into the matter at the commission’s request, Fort Lauderdale’s city auditor now says the union — not taxpayers — should pay for the raises, according to a report dated Oct. 25.
The raises were approved neither by the commission nor members of the union, city officials say. And that means they were given in violation of the required process, the report says.
Now the city wants its money back, Mayor Dean Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday.
“It’s up to the union and the union president as to how it’s paid back,” he said. “But we do expect them to pay the money back.”
Trantalis could not say when that might happen.
“We didn’t give them a deadline,” he said.