According to documents on the Rochester Hills website, the OPC board approved a new pension plan at the December 9, 2010 meeting for Older Person Commission's Executive Director, Department Heads and Full Time Hourly Employees starting in 2011.
The provisions are:
The OPC Executive Director - the OPC shall contribute a 15% contribution and the employee shall contribute 3%.
OPC Department Heads - the OPC shall contribute a 10% contribution and the employee shall contribute 3%.
OPC full time employees who work 40 or more hours a week on a regular basis - OPC shall contribute 5% and the employee shall contribute 3%.
This generous new pension plan seems to fly in the face of what is happening in our state and economy. Those in the private sector are taking reductions in benefits and pensions are being eliminated while government employees and those working for organizations paid by residents through millages are now suddenly getting a new lavish plan.
Newly elected Oakland County Commissioner and former Rochester City Council Member Jeff Matis said he was not able to attend the OPC meeting on December 9 due to a conflict. He was attending a meeting for the county. "I would have voted no," said Matis. He said Lucy Strand and Rochester Hills City Council members Ravi Yalamanchi and Mike Webber did vote against the new pension plan in a 4 to 3 vote.
"Right now you have to be very conservative with the OPC dollars," said Matis. "In these tough times the OPC should not be contributing tax dollars to these retirement funds. If employees of the OPC want to use their own pretax dollars to invest their own money that is what I would recommend."
Basically, the OPC budget just took a big hit. How many services are they going to have to reduce to pay for this or are they just going to come back and ask for another millage? How are they going to pay for this?
OPC Board should follow the rules and not hold a vote without putting it on the agenda. I would think it would be best practice to study the impact of this money going to a new benefit instead of OPC programs. I thought they needed the new renewal for services -- At least that was what was said. Would the voters approve pay raises if they knew?
ReplyDeletethe 4-3 vote that approved this indicates how important it is we change the administration and the council slate--of which at the present- there are no checks and balances. This could be done this fall.
ReplyDeleteImportant votes should be announced so taxpayers can react to the proposal before the actual vote is taken. We all pay taxes for the OPC.
These matching contribution amounts are obnoxious. How many people in Michigan are getting 15% defined contribution from their employer for a mere 3% matching? That's ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me? Right here, right now I am thinking that there should be a BIG housecleaning at the OPC. All you EVER hear at the OPC is the lack of funds coming to them from the state. How about all the fundraisers they need to hold to put money back into all the programs? So please reveal whose BIG idea it is to support a taxpayer pension contribution for Marye Miller and her department heads? This is absurd!
ReplyDeletewhen is enough, enough of Marye Miller? and the antiquated board? this is a clique that is not looking to improve and update OPC, but only to line their own pockets.Especially when $$$ is needed to maintain the facility. You can't keep raising fees and expect to keep members. Tell me, How does a former school bus driver qualify to run & direct the OPC? A complete shakeup of administration is long overdue. OPC is not a small time operation.It is sorely in need of professional guidance. Also the name should be changed. When membership is offered to 50 yr olds, it is not suitable to be called "Older Persons" etc..
ReplyDeleteIf this pension plan goes through, Marye Miller will NEVER retire. Why should she with a minimum of a $12,0000 BONUS called a pension fund deposited every year? She will be carried out feet first and buried in her Marye with an E mausoleum. Employee morale is in the cellar and they live in fear of her vindictiveness! She has her fiefdom in place and her jesters (OPC Board), rubber-stamping her every whim. She breaks Federal Discrimination Regulation consistently. She is a lawsuit waiting to happen!
ReplyDeleteI have viewed her “stealing” apple pies when everyone else must produce a paid ticket. I called her on it and I should be pushing up daises. If she will steal Arts and Apple pies, what else is she helping herself to? I was warned to be very careful, as she would ban me from OPC. Let her try, I have a very good attorney!
The fall election saw her using the OPC database, postage and stationary to ask OPC seniors to donate to her daughter's recent failed election. Kim is a great gal, but seniors are fed up with her mother and voted against her daughter as a result. Marye travels free on all the expensive OPC trips. Instead of applying the free ticket benefit on a tour and reducing the price for seniors, she takes the trips! It is time for Marye Miller to retire or better yet be fired for violations of Non-Profit rules. Hopefully, IRS will investigate these violations and take action against her. She would look great in an orange jumpsuit!
Citizens defeated Water Tanks and paving of Washington Road. Next project; get Marye Miller out of OPC. This is a small corporation and should be run by a CPA, CFO or MBA. Not an uneducated bus driver earning $78,000 a year plus untaxed benefits! She can’t even write a complete sentence or spell simple words correctly!
The decision on whether this vote was legal was tabled until the next OPC Board meeting on March 3rd. Citizens of all ages need to attend. 7:30 AM. Better yet go to the next City of Rochester Hills Council meeting and hold the council accountable. Both Marye and John need to go (especially before he gets a 3rd pension from OPC!)!
I don’t think area citizens passed the millage to award these obscene pensions. This is simply, a thinly viewed raise for a select few employee! This is immoral at best!
Seniors hate the name of Older Person's Commission. Good old Marye Miller name. She is dishonest, vindictive and stealing from taxpayers!
Enough said all ready!
Now is the time for change, at all levels. Employees, and members should not be fearful of providing opinions and insight for fear of being fired or "banned" from the facility.
ReplyDeleteA good leader is someone who surrounds themself with people who are experts in their own areas, not by "puppets" incapable of giving their opinion but only doing what they are told.
It is time to end the reign of Marye Miller and her "relatives" and cronies before it is too late.
It seems all we do is wait for changes, in this economy we must be able to look into the future,understand our customer base, and change enough to sustain oursleves into the future.
If we continue as is...we will lose it all.
Let's begin the housecleaning now!