fraternal order of police kenton ounty lodge #20...the 2016 winner was mr. annon goodrich who...
TRANSCRIPT
Fraternal Order of Police Kenton County Lodge #20 Executive Board 2013-2015
President
James M.D. Reed [859] 359-5450
Immediate Past-President
Fred Roberts Jr.
Vice-President
Christie Feldman [859] 743-4538
Second Vice-President
Dwayne White [859] 743-9165
Secretary
Ed Reckers [859] 250-9053
Treasurer
Charlie Bell [859] 240-1943
State Lodge Trustee
Hal Spaw [859] 727-3337
Sergeant-At-Arms
Matthew Reed [859] 991-3376
Chaplain
Tim Chesser [859] 816-5420
Lodge Trustees
Howard Goodrich [859] 356-7048
Gary Halberstadt [859] 356-6280
Norb Medley [859] 431-5930
Associate Lodge Executive Board
President
Ron Lantz [859] 428-0374
Vice-President / Secretary
Vince Zwick [859] 261-9075
Second V.P. / State Lodge Trustee
R.C. Cooper [859] 391-0384
Treasurer
Chaplain
John Shirley [859] 466-4098
Sergeant At Arms
Troy Reed [859] 640-1529
Lodge Trustees
Dorothy Goodrich
Janet Mitchell-Cooper
Lodge Meetings
Every 3rd Tuesday of the month at
7:30 PM
P.O. Box 17725, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky 41017
Law Is The Safeguard of Freedom Summer 2017
Stag / Annual Picnic
Lodge #20’s Annual Picnic / Stag
will be held on Wednesday, September 20,
2017 at Pioneer Park of KY 17.
Lunch and dinner will be served
along with raffles and other door prizes.
Northern Kentucky Police Memorial
2017
The Northern Kentucky Police Me-
morial was held on Wednesday, May 17,
2017 at the Police Memorial at the foot of
the Suspension Bridge in Covington,
Kentucky.
The Northern Kentucky Police Me-
morial serves Kenton, Boone and Campbell
County and 10 other counties in Northern
Kentucky.
Photos by River City News Brian Frey
Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police Memorial
The annual Kentucky State Peace Offices’
Memorial hosted by the Kentucky Fraternal
Order of Police was conducted on Monday,
May 8, 2017 at 12:00 PM at the Kentucky
History Center in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Spring Telephone Solicitation Fundraiser
The Spring 2017 telephone solicita-
tion Fundraiser raised almost $10,000.00 to
be split between Kenton Co. Lodge #20 and
Covington Lodge #1.
Special Olympics Trivia Night
Trivia Night will be Friday, October
20, 2017 at 7:00 PM at the Edgewood Senior
Center right off Dudley Rd. in Edgewood,
Kentucky.
Lodge #20 will be sponsoring a table again
this year.
If you can’t come and enjoy the fun with a team this year don’t forget us for sponsorship or volunteering.
MONTH DATE TIME
JANUARY 19 7:30 pm
FEBRUARY 16 7:30 pm
MARCH 15 7:30 pm
APRIL 19 7:30 pm
MAY 17 7:30 pm
JUNE 21 7:30 pm
JULY 19 7:30 pm
AUGUST 16 7:30 pm
SEPTEMBER 20 7:30 pm
OCTOBER 18 7:30 pm
NOVEMBER 15 7:30 pm
DECEMBER 20 7:30 pm
Monthly Lodge Meetings
Lodge meetings are held at
Covington Lodge #1
18th & Oakland Avenue, Covington, Kentucky.
You Can Now Pay Your Dues Online!
You now have the option of paying your dues
online. Just drop by http://www.foplodge20.com/
and go to the Annual Dues block.
As per the by-laws, Article III, Section 2, the due
date for payment of annual dues is January 1st of
each year. Dues become delinquent on April 1st of
the same year.
- If you have not paid your 2015, you are in jeop-
ardy of being dropped from the lodge rolls per
Article V, Section 7.
- If you have not paid your 2016 dues, Article V,
Section 6, or you are in jeopardy of losing all rights
and privileges as set forth by the FOP. But, If they
are paid by December 31st, you can be re-instated.
Merchandise
If you are interested in purchasing any FOP merchandise,
shirts, hats, license plate medallions, etc., please contact
Brother Norb Medley.
@KYSTATEFOP
2017 KY FOP FALL CONFERENCE
October 20th – 22nd, 2017
Location: Owensboro Convention Center –
501 W 2nd St. Owensboro, Ky 42301
Host Hotel: Holiday Inn (270)683-1111 –
701 W 1st St., Owensboro, KY
***Group Code is FOP ***
Overflow Hotel: Hampton Inn (270) 685-2005 –
401 W 2nd St Owensboro, Ky 42301
Any Questions contact FOP Lodge President Brandon
Sims
Photos by River City News Brian Frey
Lena and Melvin Henderson Scholarship 2016
The FOPA Lodge #20 Lena and Melvin Hen-
derson Scholarship program was set up to assist a
high school senior or college undergraduate fulfill
their dream of attending college.
The 2016 winner was Mr. Cannon Goodrich
who graduated Cum Laude from Owen County
High School with a 3.54 GPA and the Owen County
Senior Student of the year. He also participated in
many clubs and activities while also working 20-30
hours per week at Cracker Barrell.
Cannon will be attending Eastern Kentucky
University in Richmond and he will be studying Ag-
ricultural Business.
FOPA President Ron Lantz presented Can-
non a check for $500.00 on behalf of the scholar-
ship program.
KEVIN L. PRICE
2017 F.O.P. Memorial Scholarship
Kenton County Lodge #20
REQUIREMENTS
• The Kevin L. Price Memorial scholarship will be awarded in the amount of $500.00
• The scholarship is open to children, step-children, or grandchildren of Active Kenton County FOP #20 Members
• Candidates must be juniors or seniors planning to pursue a higher education after graduation from high school
• Candidates must submit an application along with an official high school transcript
• The scholarship will be awarded by the FOP #20 Selection Committee
• Awards are not limited by race, color, creed, national origin or sex.
Applications should be postmarked in or e-mailed by July 31, 2017 to [email protected] sub-
mitted to:
Kevin Price Scholarship Committee
KENTON COUNTY LODGE No.20
P.O. BOX 17725, MITCHELL, KENTUCKY 41017
Associates News and Notes
Lodge #20 Associates welcomed 5 new members
into their ranks:
• Jackie Newton
• Ronda Zwick
• Charles White
• Denise White
• Jon Mace
They were sworn in by President Ron Lantz and
Vice President R.C. Cooper. We welcome them
with open arms and many congratulations!
Month Split The Pot Attendance
January Angela Slusher Charles Lundsford*
March Howard Goodrich Mike Peloucci *
May Gary Halberstadt Scott Neely*
LEGAL DEFENSE PLAN
This program is designed specifically to cover the law enforcement exposures faced by members of the FOP Legal Defense Plan by paying legal defense costs on behalf of participating members for the following ac-tions and proceedings:
• Coverage A – Administrative (includes Administra-tive Off-Duty)
• Coverage B – Civil
• Coverage C – Criminal Legal defense protection is a necessity for law enforce-
ment professionals. As the frequency and cost of alle-
gations rise, the FOP Legal Defense Plan offers you and
your lodge members a very affordable and comprehen-
sive plan.
What is the FOP Legal Defense Plan?
A self-funded ERISA plan that is available to eligible FOP
groups and individual members. The Plan provides cov-
erage for administrative proceedings, including those
arising off-duty and outside the scope of employment,
civil lawsuits, and criminal investigations, prosecutions,
and grand jury proceedings that arise in the scope of
your law enforcement employments.
www.foplegal.com
Full Coverage Group Rate
Full Coverage Individual Rate
Group Rate
Individual
Rate
$264 $282 $64 $68
Administrative Administrative
Criminal Criminal Criminal Criminal
Civil Civil Civil Civil
Conference Event Details:
Sunday August 27, 2017
WELCOME TO NASHVILLE
PARTY IN THE LOT
Monday August 28, 2017
NIGHT OUT IN NASHVILLE BASH
TOUR DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE
Tuesday August 29, 2017
MEET THE CANDIDATES
HOSPITALITY NIGHT
Wednesday August 30, 2017
GRAND OLE OPRY
PRIVATE PERFORMANCE
Contact: Nashville Fraternal Order of Police
440 Welshwood Dr.
Nashville, TN 37211-4207
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ph. (615)-831-2465
E-mail: [email protected]
The 63rd Bi-Annual FOP National Conference
May 23, 2017
Dear Members:
During Monday’s meeting of the Public Pension Oversight Board (PPOB), John
Chilton, State Budget Director and Trustee on the KRS Board, made some clos-
ing remarks to the presentation that PFM Consulting would be reviewing po-
tential pension benefit changes “both prospectively and retrospectively.”
While there wasn’t elaboration at the time, one might reasonably conclude he
appears to be saying that both future and past benefits would be part of their
review and upcoming recommendations, probably at the June PPOB meeting.
What might this mean?
The primary statute that is generally thought to protect Tier 1 and Tier 2 em-
ployees/retirees is KRS 61.692 (1) which states,
For members who begin participating in the Kentucky Employees Retirement
System prior to January 1, 2014, it is hereby declared that in consideration of
the contributions by the members and in further consideration of benefits
received by the state from the member's employment, KRS 61.510 to 61.705
shall, except as provided in KRS 6.696 effective September 16, 1993, constitute
an inviolable contract of the Commonwealth, and the benefits provided there-
in shall, except as provided in KRS 6.696, not be subject to reduction or impair-
ment by alteration, amendment, or repeal.
(KRS 6.696 allows for revocation of retirement benefits for convicted felons.)
The CERS and SPRS plans have similar statutes for their members. In the case
of Jones v Board of Trustees (910 S.W.2d 710 [1995]) the State’s Supreme
Court stated in part that “We have acknowledged that KERS members have a
contractual right to the benefits they were promised upon retirement. Any
reduction or demonstrable threat to those promised benefits might well run
afoul of Section 19 of the Kentucky Constitution, but we can leave that issue
for another day.” While there has not been a credible challenge to the inviola-
ble contract nothing prevents one from being mounted especially in the cur-
rent environment. The PFM Group report presented shows that 76% of the
accrued liability in the KERS NH pension fund (just over $10 billion) is attributed
to Tier 1 retired/inactive members and 23% is attributed to Tier 1 active em-
ployees (another $3 billion). So, one way of reducing 99% of future liabilities
would be to find a way to cut benefits now being received or soon to be re-
ceived.
This same statute in Section (2)(a) states,
For members who begin participating in the Kentucky Employees Retirement
System on or after January 1, 2014, the General Assembly reserves the right to
amend, suspend, or reduce the benefits and rights provided under KRS 61.510
to 61.705 if, in its judgment, the welfare of the Commonwealth so demands,
except that the amount of benefits the member has accrued at the time of
amendment, suspension, or reduction shall not be affected.
These are the Tier 3 employees who now participate in KRS through a cash
hybrid plan. This section clearly says that these benefits are subject to change
at any time.
And Section 3 of this statute states,
The provisions of this section shall not be construed to limit the General As-
sembly's authority to amend, reduce, or suspend the benefits and rights of
members of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System as provided by KRS
61.510 to 61.705 that the General Assembly had the authority to amend, re-
duce, or suspend, prior to July 1, 2013.
An example of this was the suspension of COLAs. Health benefits for those
hired after July 1, 2003, likely also fall under this provision although it has not
yet been triggered.
While these statutes deal mostly with benefits as they are paid, another meth-
od to increase tax revenue is to alter certain provisions in the tax codes that
pertain to retirees - what might we expect in terms of possible tax changes.
Retirees of public pensions have two ways that their benefits could be subject-
ed to a higher level of taxation than that which we enjoy today. One is the
statute that exempts benefits related to state service prior to December 31,
1997. The other pertains to the overall $41,110 exclusion of pension income.
KRS 141.0215 is that statute that outlines the method by which a portion of
one’s public pension income is shielded from state taxation and became effec-
tive on April 28, 1995. The law provides that public retirement benefits earned
through service prior to December 31, 1997, as a ratio of one’s total service
time, is exempt from gross income. For example, I started with Parks on July 1,
1975 and retired on August 1, 2010 – 421 months of service. The amount of
time between 7/1/75 and 12/31/97 is 270 months. So, right from the start, I
can exclude 64% (270/421) of my pension income from my gross income. You
no doubt do the same calculation yourselves every year.
The second law that is likely to be a potential target for change is KRS 141.010
(10)(i)(2), effective as of 12/31/05, which exempts from income up to $41,110
of the total amounts received from “pension plans, annuity contracts, profit-
sharing plans, retirement plans, or employee savings plans.” From the listing of
tax expenditures last prepared in November 2015, it is estimated that over
$490 million in potentially taxable income is exempted from taxation by this
statute in the current fiscal year.
Kentucky has also not changed its tax codes to conform with federal regula-
tions which allow for taxation of Social Security payments if a taxpayer’s in-
come is above a certain level. From the same tax expenditure report, it is esti-
mated that this excludes some $328 million from taxation by the state.
I mention all of this now because we don’t know what the final PFM Group
report might suggest. I think we as individual retirees and as an organization
need to be prepared for what might be thrown at us. The dollar amount of the
need now being thrown out is $700 million additional dollars above what is
being funded now. If the state moves to a “level dollar” method of funding its
employer’s share, as opposed to the “percent of payroll” as is now being used,
this amount will certainly have to materialize and be maintained year-after-
year for at least twenty years.
I don’t know today whether or not stakeholders in this pension debate will be
given an opportunity to comment prior to the June 26th meeting of the PPOB
when we are told recommendations should be expected. However, I did want
to share with you what I see are possibilities. Senator Chris McDaniel, Co-Chair
of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, said yesterday – para-
phrasing here – that everyone involved in solving this crisis will be mad. We’ve
been warned.
Please let me know if you have questions about anything here.
Thanks.
Larry P. Totten
President
Kentucky Public Retirees
ATTENTION MEMBERS - PLEASE READ FOR
IMPORTANT PENSION INFORMATION
Brothers and Sisters,
Hopefully everyone is aware of the fact that our state government
has made "reforming" our pension system one of its top priorities.
We fully expect reform to be a series of changes that will not be ben-
eficial to our members. Governor Bevin has been very clear from the
time he first campaigned for office that fixing our pension system will
not be easy, and that serious and difficult decisions will have to be
made. For example, recent comments made by Governor Bevin to
The Bottom Line, a business friendly Chamber of Commerce publica-
tion, outlines how he fully expects new hires to be put into 401k
retirement plans.
Changes to our state law can only occur during regular legislative
sessions, which take place each spring. However, if the Governor and
the Legislature coordinate to hold a special session, then changes to
law can take place any time they agree to meet between regular
sessions. There has been a lot of talk about a special legislative ses-
sion being called sometime this fall for the purpose of enacting pen-
sion reform. The minimum amount of time needed to pass a law
during a session is five days, and it costs approximately $300,000 to
hold a special session that lasts five days . Due to the cost and atten-
tion that a special session will incur, one will not likely be scheduled
unless an agenda is fully planned out and agreed to, and the votes
needed to pass any new laws have been promised. To be clear, such
planning may already be under way, and if we wait to act until a
special session is called, it may already be too late to influence it.
As of today, THERE HAVE BEEN NO OFFICIAL REFORM PROPOSALS
OR BILLS FILED. We do not yet know what this reform will ultimately
look like. We do know, however, what our legislators have been
thinking about and what information they have been consider-
ing. The Public Pension Oversight Board, a committee comprised of
legislators and government officials tasked with overseeing our pen-
sion systems (click here for member list), has frequently heard testi-
mony from a conservative think-tank called the Bluegrass Institute
for Public Policy Solutions (BIPPS). BIPPS is a conservative think-tank
that is a part of the State Policy Network (SPN), which serves as a
national umbrella network for numerous state based organizations
like BIPPS throughout the country. Members should take note the
SPN is strongly opposed to public-sector unions and has fought to
eliminate, reduce, and limit collective bargaining laws across the
country by influencing state legislatures.
On May 23rd, BIPPS published their recommendations for pension
reform in Kentucky. These recommendations (http://www.bipps.org/
wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BIPPS-SOLUTIONS-2-5.18.17-
4.pptx) are alarming and provide for very disturbing interpretations
of the inviolable contract that would dramatically reduce future
earned benefits for our members. The proposals shift the burden of
pension liability to each of us, as if to say that we are the ones who
caused the pension system's problems. BIPPS wants us to pay for the
years of under-funding and mismanagement of the retirement sys-
tems despite the fact that we have each paid the full amount of what
was asked and expected of us the entire time.
We have chosen this profession knowing and expecting that after
decades of difficult personal sacrifice, we would be able to live a
comfortable life in retirement. This is a promise rooted in an agree-
ment that we entered into with our employers when we each signed
up. To tell us now that the contract that we have based our lives on
is going to be redefined by a one sided "renegotiation", with terms
dictated to us by special interest groups such as BIPPS, the Chamber
of Commerce, and others, is unacceptable.
Every one of us needs to contact their legislator at 1-800-372-
7181 (Monday through Friday 8a to 4p, except holidays) and tell
them how important retirement security is to us, and how important
our pensions are to us. Let them know we expect their full support,
and that we expect them to honor and protect our hard-earned ben-
efits. Furthermore, our profession cannot withstand any further
attacks on its future; recruitment and retention are challenging
enough as it is, and we must not allow ourselves to be divided and
conquered. Tell your legislators that any further reduction in benefits
or retirement security for new hires is also unacceptable.
Your FOP will do everything possible to keep you informed. Our
plan is to utilize our entire membership and all of our collective influ-
ence to protect our retired, current, and future members, and honor
the sacrifices we have made, are making, and will make.
Our success will only be possible if all of our members are informed
and involved. Please watch your inbox and the FOP social media
pages carefully for updates and further calls for action. We cannot
stress it enough: THESE PHONE CALLS TO YOUR LEGISLATORS ARE
CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS.
Thank you and stay safe,
Your Legislative Team
Nicolai Jilek
Legislative Agent - Kentucky State Lodge
This is a friendly reminder to contact your legislators at 1-800-372-7181 (Monday through Friday 8a to
4p, except holidays). THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY CALLED. For everyone else it isn't too
late to make a difference. The phone call is easy to do and won't take more than a few minutes of your
time.
Important points to cover in your message:
-Our pensions and retirement security is very important to us. We have chosen a difficult profession
knowing that if we survive all of its inherent risks and dangers that we can look forward to a decent life
in retirement.
-Our profession cannot take any further erosion of our benefits. Tier 3 already has little to no retire-
ment security. Further reducing benefits for them and new hires will worsen the already challenging
recruitment and retention issues our public service agencies are experiencing.
-THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY NEEDS A PLEDGE FROM THE LEGISLATURE TO SUPPORT AND
DEFEND OUR HARD EARNED BENEFITS.
Our success will only be possible if all of our members are informed and involved. Please watch your
inbox and the FOP social media pages carefully for updates and further calls for action. Make sure all of
your co-workers are receiving these notices. If they are not then they can easily add their email to Con-
stant Contact
We cannot stress it enough: THESE PHONE CALLS TO YOUR LEGISLATORS ARE CRITICAL TO OUR SUC-
CESS.
Thank you and stay safe,
Your Legislative Team
Nicolai Jilek
Legislative Agent - Kentucky State Lodge
Legislative Agent/Delegate - River City Lodge 614
Email : [email protected]
Cell : 502-995-5505
Fax : 502-968-5210
