| Sad News – December 20, 2011
When it rains it pours. Past President Danny Lyons, Tampa Lodge 27 has died from his illness (leukemia). Arrangements are to be announced. Please remember Danny and his family in your prayers.
It is with much sadness that I inform you that My friend and yours, Paul Blanchard has passed from this world into the hands of God this morning. The family has requested that no flowers be sent and that any donations be made to the Florida State Memorial Foundation or the Famalies of Murdered Children, Southwest Chapter. A memorial service will be held after Christmas.
I will keep you informed of any other news I get from Chip Blanchard, his son. Please keep Paul's family in your prayers.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – NOVEMBER 9, 2011
At approx 1930 hours President Couey called the meeting to order for regular business.
Prayer and Pledge given by Chaplain Smith.
Attendance called- VP Roger Tosdevine absent-excused
There was a motion by President Couey to accept last months minutes- seconded and approved
Treasurer Report given- Balance approx $6300.00
Thanks to Platinum Financial for last months dinner for Meeting
Sick and Distressed
Offering taken for Patricia Mueller for her loss (House Fire). $210.00 given by members.
Retired Sgt. Unger still in hospital needing Prayer
Richard Smiths Daughters, Grandchildren also need prayer
Please keep all of our Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.
As we have in the past, Ham and Turkey were served at the meeting. Great job to Bill and Rebecca for making dinner so yummy.
Door Prizes were waived to next months meeting
Director Gene Leonard gave report for District
January 5, is the next District Meeting in Polk County
January 18, 19, 20 2012 is next session for the Florida State Legislature, Many items on agenda going to effect public safety. State FOP offered to pay room and board for any Lodge #108 members wishing to help fight the negative agenda items.
Update on Roof status, it will be coated by contractor to help leaks, no charge
Richard, reminded everyone of the upcoming Veterans Day events and free dinners at numerous restaurants
Birthday dinner drawing was Nov 21st.
50/50 winner- Major Hartley, He returned the winnings back to the lodge.
Cindy Wilson updated on the past yard sale, reported a profit.
Board Meeting
Attended by fopa members Brenda Clamon and Cindy Williams
Reminder to attend district meetings
Discussion about cutting expenses, specifically electric bill
Discussed requiring a nominal fee from numerous clubs who utilize the lodge currently at no charge for the electric bill- recommended $10-$25.
FOPA offered $2000 to help with expenses however at this time it was held until a decision made on where it will go. Discussion was whether to put it towards expenses or the Scholarship fund
Also discussed replacing the carpet in the hall.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – OCTOBER 11, 2011
The General Membership Meeting was called to order at approx 1930 hours by President Couey.
After prayer and the pledge of allegiance the meeting was opened.
Roll call of Officers: All were present with the exception of Secretary Tagliarini and Chaplain Smith. Both were excused.
Since the Secretary was absent, and the accountant out of town, no reports were given.
President Couey inquired as to the sick and distressed. Please keep all of the Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.
President Couey thanked the cooks for an exceptional job. The dinner was provided by Platinum Financial (Scott and Keith)………..It was well appreciated.
President Couey thanked the members that showed up on the work day and did miscellaneous task to improve the lodge. Great job to all.
The birthday draw was conducted with no winner.
The 50/50 was conducted. The door prizes were given out and we hope everyone had a great night and will see you in November.
President Couey closed the meeting at 2000 hours after the closing prayer.
Greetings
I hope this finds all the Brothers and Sisters doing well. A lot has been going on at the lodge and everyone has been very busy. Secretary Tagliarini has hit the ground running boosting membership, having work days at the lodge, and spending countless hours with Rebecca Iverson in learning the system. Hats off to both of them.
Brother Calvin Young has spent so many hours doing miscellaneous jobs around the lodge which saves the membership a lot of money. Rebecca Iverson has redecorated the lodge and with the help of the Brothers and Sisters that have provided assistance, the lodge looks better each day.
Platinum Financial stepped up and is providing the steaks for the October meeting which really helps the lodge out during the financial times the lodge is dealing with. All of this combined makes a big impact at the end of the month when the bills are due.
The FOPA is doing a rummage sale on October 14, 15 and 16th at the lodge so if you have items that you wish to donate, please get them to the lodge for the rummage sale.
I can not thank everyone enough for the time and effort that has been put into the lodge. It is your lodge and once again …..Thanks
John Couey
President
Greetings everyone,
I wanted to let everyone know that tonight I had the honor of speaking to SOT class 16 about our lodge. This is a class of detention cadets that will be graduating tomorrow. My congratulations to these cadets. They have shown commitment to the office in there participation in this training program. They are a very impressive group of deputies. They were very receptive to our lodge and seemed to be interested in joining. I provided about 25 applications. I also would like to note that recently promoted Corporal Rene Ramos in training also completed an application. I would ask that each member especially detention brothers let the new rookies know that the lodge is a very important part of our office. Let them know that there will be more interaction between members and help offered to those in need. Also inform them of previous scholarship recipients and the family oriented events we have. I would also like to remind everyone that we have the yard sale coming up in October. Please let me know if you have items and I will make arrangements to have them picked up if necessary. Remember, as Connie asked, please no broken items. Please keep me updated of any current members who I need to place on this email address. I also wish to have your support in our recruiting efforts. Please email this to others who may wish to read it. Thank you for your time.
Frank Tagliarini
Secretary
FOP Lodge #108
Email Me
(813)323-5728
Greetings everyone,
First off I would like to thank you for providing me your email addresses at the last meeting. I would like to ask for your further assistance. Could you please contact and current members you may know personally. I would like to create a data base of emails for current members. This will help us in future endeavors to increase our membership and hold functions. As well as create an outreach for volunteers at the lodge in the future. I would ask that you provide the name of the member attached to the email so I can verify they belong to each other. I will only keep these emails for lodge business and no other purposes. Thank you for your time and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Frank Tagliarini
Secretary
FOP Lodge #108
Email Me
(813)323-5728
Please click onthis link to download a letter from Frank Tagliarini.
A Legislative Brief Of The 2011 Legislative Session
Listed below are the issues and brief synopsis of their effects. A more detailed play by play report will be given at the June Conference and any specific questions regarding these issues can be sent to Lisa Henning at 850-766-8808 or foplegislative@aol.com.
We entered this session with the Governor and Republican Leadership of the House and Senate demanding changes to your pensions and your ability to be politically active. We ended the session having blocked more than a few union busting bills and avoidance of a complete decimation of the earned pensions.
This was a very bitter and ugly session, with enemies found and new friends coming together in an alliance that worked and coordinated like a well oiled machine. Make no mistake we had a huge participation from our members and we can be proud of the work that was accomplished. Members sacrificed not just days but weeks to come and work the legislative session, and it is inspiring to know that the thin blue line is alive and well.
The Bills We Worked
The Top Priority Issues:
HB 303 by Representative Fred Costello: This issue was the first bill on local government pensions to arrive on the scene and though we went and worked with the bill sponsor, which led to his withdrawal of the bill, he later worked diligently against us on the committee bill, even going and testifying at a committee that he did not sit on. This bill would have destroyed the local pensions that are presently in place and would have given the cities complete control of all premium tax dollars. Failed
HB 825 by Representative Ritch Workman: This bill was a single stand alone bill that would have done away with DROP. This bill was assigned to committees but never heard. Failed
SB 830 by Senator John Thrasher: Known by several different names “Workers Gag Bill” and “Paycheck Protection”, this is the bill that would have done away with payroll deduction of dues and more importantly would have denied any dues (payroll deducted or not) to be used directly or indirectly for any political activities. There were statements that the legislature wanted to get out of the dues collection business but since there were over 360 payroll deduction in state payroll alone, it became evident that the bill was more about limiting the voice of the union members than it was about payroll deduction. This bill was backed by Republican Leadership, The Governor, Former Governor Jeb Bush, The Tea Party, The Florida Chamber Of Commerce, The Florida Sheriffs Association, and Associated Industries Of Florida. This battle was ugly, but in the end the Coalition Of Labor Unions prevailed with the guidance and fierce fighting of the Fabulous 24 of the Florida Senate. This group led by Jack Latvala and Greg Evers, managed to keep a coalition of Republican and Democratic Senators focused and they never waivered in their support of public employee rights. The bill died in the Senate and we will forever owe the Republican legislators that stuck out their necks , risking all to protect us. And of course the Democrats who stuck by us. Please note that up until the last hour of session the Governor had his Lt. Governor working the floor of the senate threatening members regarding the union dues issue. Failed
House Bill 1021 by Representative Chris Dorworth: This was the companion bill of senate bill 830 and though it passed the house it died in Senate Messages. The House Democrats fought a hard battle trying to protect us, but leadership strong armed all their Republican members into voting for the bill. Failed
House Bill 1023 by Representative Plakon: This bill was a recertification requirement bill, which would have financially devastated the lodges, requiring annual membership sign up. Thomas Grigsby worked very hard on blocking this bill, and was very successful in keeping this issue quashed. Failed
House Bill 1025 by Representative Broeder: This bill was the decertification bill and would have caused problems if membership of a unit fell below 50%. It would have automatically decertified the bargaining unit. We managed to block this bill as well. Failed
HB 1031 by Representative Frishe: This bill is no newcomer, we have been fighting the Sheriffs as a legislative body issue for four years. With the help of Representative Patronis and Thomas Grigsby we were successful in blocking the bill from being heard in House Governmental Operations. Failed
SB 1098 by Senator Hays: This was the companion bill to HB 1031 and was the Sheriffs Legislative Body Bill. This bill was heard in it’s first committee of reference, but thanks to Senator Anitere Flores and Brother Armando Aguilar the bill was blocked from being heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Failed
SB 1128 by Senator Ring: This was the local pension bill, that was testified on, amended, and debated for hours . We worked arm and arm with the FPFF (Firefighters) on this issue and the though most of our coalition partners were not effected by this issue, they worked against the issue as well. This bill started out devastating the local pension plans and would have allowed the cities unlimited power over the pensions. Senator Ring worked with all of us, and came to compromise that later was sent to conference. It is important that we note some of the people who dedicated a lot of time and energy to defeating this bill, Thomas Grigsby worked with Representative Patronis, who delayed doing a local pension bill until forced in his last meeting of the session by House Leadership. Thomas Grigsby worked with Representative Patronis daily to make certain that staff understood our position and what the most important things to focus on were. Attorney Bob Klausner walked us thru each rewrite of the bill, making certain that we did not over look and “tricks” from the Florida League Of Cities. Miami Beach police and fire hired Bill Helmich to work the local pension bill and he made a determined effort to save the three hundred hours of overtime. Rep. Patronis and McKeel kept their door open and allowed a free flow of information and in the end came up with what is considered a fair bill. Representative Clemens, Taylor and Williams fought for us every step of the way and deserve a thank you from us. Senator Jeremy Ring held fast to protecting the use of premium tax dollars and deserves a strong thanks for all of his efforts. : From conference the following issues came out:
No change to premium tax dollars use for enhancement of pension benefits
Cities may not lower their contribution during the good years any longer.
300 hr cap on overtime annually for the AFC
The pension board language was changed to our suggested language which protected the ratio and autonomy of pension boards.
Upon agreement of both parties the contribution of the employee may be increased without a new benefit.
SB 1160 by Senator Gaetz: This bill would have not only done away with DROP but would have made it impossible for someone to come back and draw both a retirement and pay check. This bill was blocked and not heard. Failed
HB 1405 By Representative Ritch Workman: This was the FRS Gutting Benefits bill, it would have several different bill numbers by the end of session but ended up being budget conference/conforming bill 2100. Representative Workman, Mayfield, and O’Toole should get specific attention for increasing the age for special risk retirement. Their reasoning is that 60 is the new 40, and most of the officers are working an extra five years in drop anyway. Special thanks should go to Representative Ana Rivas Logan for attempting to save the COLA. If the legislator had a “D” in front of their name, they fought long and hard for you. If they had an “R” in front of their name, they either played follow the leader or debating and fought against you. (This is of course in the House only)
SB 2100 – FRS Conforming Budget Bill- This bill changed FRS and listed below are the changes that were made. I want to emphasis that this bill came a long way from what was originally intended and that though salary and pension only makes up 3% of the budget, over 1.1 billion dollars that were used to fill the 4 billion budget deficit was taken from the pensions. This was never about fixing a broken system, it was about balancing the budget on the benefits of public employees. Though we won many battles on this issue, below is a list of what the current changes are. The three percent that the employees will be paying does not go into the pension fund, it goes to reduce the employers contribution to FRS. For special risk the employer is paying 11.99% lower than during 2010, so please make note of that savings when going into contract negotiations.
1) For all new hires after July 1, 2011 normal retirement age will increase by 5 years.
2) All employees will pay 3% contribution to their retirement as of July 1, 2011.
3) A Freeze on earning a COLA from July 1, 2011 till 2016.
4) All new hires will have their AFC calculated with their high 8 instead of 5 years.
5) DROP interest rate after July 1, 2011 will be 1.3 instead of 6.5 .
6) All new hires will reach vesting in 8 years instead of 6.
We kept the Defined Benefit Plan, Overtime, Health Insurance Subsidy, contribution is not 5%, COLA is only frozen and DROP was simply reduced to 1.3%.
Good Legislation That We Helped Pass
HB 3/ SB 484 by Representative Nehr and Senator Jack Latvala: This is the Blue Alert bill which is basically that same thing as an amber alert, but affects the assault and/or death of a law enforcement officer. This was also placed on the list of priorities for National and Florida will now help lead the way. This bill passed.
HB 411/ SB 416 by Representative Burgin and Senator Bogdanoff: This bill is simply a public records exemption for video or pictures of the depiction of the killing of another human being. Law Enforcement and the courts will still have access, they just will not have to turn the video or pictures over to the public. This bill was instituted because the press was demanding the video of two police officers killed in the line duty in Tampa. The bill passed.
HB 95 / SB 236 by Representative Bembry and Senator Hays: This bill will allow the parents of fallen veterans to have annual passes to state parks free of charge, and Senator Hays inserted the survivors of fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters into the legislation. The House tried to insist that the language be stripped from the bill, but Senator Hays failed to concur with stripping the language for police and fire out (on the day of memorial) and sent it back to the House of Representatives and the house concurred and sent the bill to the Governor. The FOP President James Preston has agreed to make and issue these passes to the family of the fallen, making it possible for the bill to have a lower fiscal impact and allowed to pass.
Seeing the insurmountable task that we faced this session the legislative committee had the insight to allocate funds for us to fight the battle with outside help. We owe a special thanks to Thomas Grigsby and Pregeiz & Weems, Inc. These lobbyists worked hard on the issues and that made them targets for very little money and a determination to protect the law enforcement officers of this state. They were an amazing asset/tool and we commend them for all of their hard work.
Last but probably the most crucial is a huge thank you to the United Labor Coalition, which is made up of over 49 unions (big and small) that banned together and fought all pension and anti-union issues. Thousands of hours and dollars were spent by this coalition, and it gave us an advantage of large mass numbers and constant media attention. The organizing leader was the AFL/CIO (Mike Williams, Rich Templin and Josh Anijar) This Coalition was made up of AFL/CIO, FOP, FPFF, FEA, ATU, AFSCME and many others. Our numbers and commitment were strong, and we look forward to continuing our participation in the Coalition, as we still have another three years under this Governor.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – APRIL 12, 2011
President John Couey called the meeting to order at 19:15 hours
After the prayer and pledge of allegiance from Chaplin Smith, the lodge was open for the transaction of regular business.
Roll call of officers: All board members were present with the exception of Treasurer Iverson. President Couey excused those who were absent.
The Secretary report was waived from the last meeting.
The treasurer report was waived in the absence of Treasurer Iverson being absent.
The Chaplin's report was given. Please keep all of our Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.
It was great to see Chaplain Paul Blanchard and District 3 Director Gene Leonard at the meeting. Director Leonard is doing well.
The drawing for door prizes and 50/50 was held.
Representatives for Platinum Financial were present; Scott Jackson and Keith Glazer gave a brief presentation on financial needs. Both are FOPA members.
The Lodge has installed a new video camera system and I hope to have it online soon so that members can view. Brother Calvin Young as usual jumped right in and put up the security lights and installed the video equipment.
President Couey thanked the cooks and staff for their time and great job once again.
The meeting was closed at 19:55 hours after the closing prayer.
Hope to see you at the May 10th meeting.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES- March 8, 2011
The meeting was called to order by President Couey at 19:19 hours, the pledge of allegiance and opening prayer followed.
President Couey conducted the roll call of officer’s. Absent were Secretary Tagliarini, Treasurer Iverson, and Inner Guard Taylor.
Since the secretary and Treasurer were absent, no reports were given.
President Couey inquired as to the sick and distressed. Uncle Louie was under the weather and missed the meeting, but we expect him back at the April meeting. Kenny Mullins passed away in the beginning of March. Please keep all of our Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.
District 3 Director Leonard was present and discussed upcoming legislative issues and would be in Tallahassee to monitor the sessions.
Sister Miller reminded everyone of the Police memorial May 1st and 2nd.
The cooks did an outstanding job as usual with taking care of the steaks and chicken.
Under the good of the order, the 50/50 was $57.00.
Sister Buckingham won the birthday draw
The meeting was closed at 19:40 hours, after the closing prayer.
See you at the next meeting, April 12th
After listening to more than 30 members of public sector workers over three hours, the House State Affairs Committee voted out its version of the state pension bill which will cut the salaries of 655,000 state and county workers, including public school teachers, by three percent. The savings would be steered into the Florida Retirement System as a way to balance the state budget.
The deepest tensions of Florida's troubled economy surfaced during the emotional debate, as the bill was passed along a party line vote. Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach, criticized the governor for claiming the change was being demanded by the public. "Winning by .5 percent is not a mandate by the State of Florida,'' he said. "To say the people of Florida want this, I know there are 650,000 who don't...This is not a problem, it's only a problem because somebody does not like the fact that the private sector is not getting.''
Rep. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, countered, saying that he has personally taken a 50 percent pay cut from his roofing business and is now considering refinancing his house to stay in business. "The state has 1 million people that are out of work,'' he said. He added that he appreciates the work of the police, firefighters and paramedics, especially those who came to his home last week to help his daughter. "I just hope we all consider outside our own little world what is happening in the State of Florida."
Other members of the committee said they are small business owners, Rep. Steve Crusafulli , a Merritt Island real estate broker and agribusiness man said, "I don't know many people who are retired.'' He noted that his 67-year-old father is still working and that his grandmother died on a tractor and that his company has gone from 100 workers to 5. "Look at this in a bigger frame work and know that the other option is being laid off,'' he said.
Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, called the bill an income tax on state workers and asked why the governor was able to pay more for his public sector workers more than their predecessors. "The answer is they're not equal,'' because their jobs are paid more than the public sector. "
Although the measure is not designed to increase the amount of money going into the FRS, nor does the Legislature expect to pay off any of the $496 million in its unfunded liability, several Republicans on the committee continued to argue that the bill was needed to avoid requiring future taxpayers to bail out a deficit.
Representative Workman,
There has been no group more conservative in nature than law enforcement officers. We are by majority Republicans being alienated by those of our own party. The chart below is the real impetus for your "union busting" bill and our members have become collateral damage in your zeal to punish the unions for having a political voice. The vote last November swept Republicans into office in spite of these donations or has your short term memory forgotten that. Representative Crisafulli's response to one of our members below is pure pandering and implies that our members are too stupid to decide how their dues money is being spent. Florida, as a right to work state, does not force anyone to join a union or collective bargaining unit to represent them. In fact, the Fraternal Order of Police, Florida State Lodge collects $1.00 per member per year for our political fund. Our "union" members are "COPS" serving "COPS". We are already "empowered" to choose how and for what purposes are dues are spent! We spend every day, every shift, doing the right thing, protecting the community and have lost far too many of our friends in this endeavor. Trust me sirs, we will not spend any more of our dues or waste valuable endorsements on your future campaigns or any other member that supports this bill! I am not a lobbyist, our lobbyist told me to play nice, I am a retired COP that spent 30 years deciphering BS and your logic for this bill is BS! Who are you to tell my members how they can spend their modest salaries! Or who they can support with their votes!
"Employee unions are intended to serve and protect the worker, not promote the greater well-being of the union itself. I support accountability and transparency to ensure unions serve their individual members. The goal of HB 1021 is to empower individual union members by giving them the freedom to choose how and for what purposes their union dues are spent.
The bill does not limit the constitutionally granted right for unions to collectively bargain and continues to preserve the right of workers to be members of unions. It simply gives each individual member the right to know how much of their dues is spent on actual representation and how much is spent on political activities they may or may not agree with."
|
|
Democrats |
Republicans |
|
|
American Fed. of State, County, & Municipal Employees |
$40,281,900 |
$547,700 |
|
|
Intel Brotherhood of Electrical Workers |
29,705,600 |
679,000 |
|
|
National Education Association |
27,679,300 |
2,005,200 |
|
|
Service Employees International Union |
26,368,470 |
98,700 |
|
|
Communication Workers of America |
26,305,500 |
125,300 |
|
|
Service Employees International Union |
26,252,000 |
1,086,200 |
|
|
Laborers Union |
25,734,000 |
2,138,000 |
|
|
American Federation of Teachers |
25,682,800 |
200,000 |
|
|
United Auto Workers |
25,082,200 |
182,700 |
|
|
Teamsters Union |
24,926,400 |
1,822,000 |
|
|
Carpenters and Joiners Union |
24,094,100 |
2,658,000 |
|
|
Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union |
23,875,600 |
226,300 |
|
|
United Food and Commercial Workers Union |
23,182,000 |
334,200 |
|
|
AFL-CIO |
17,124,300 |
713,500 |
|
|
Sheet Metal Workers Union |
16,347,200 |
342,800 |
|
|
Plumbers & Pipefitters Union |
14,790,000 |
818,500 |
|
|
Operating Engineers Union |
13,840,000 |
2,309,500 |
|
|
Airline Pilots Association |
12,806,600 |
2,398,300 |
|
|
International Association of Firefighters |
12,421,700 |
2,685,400 |
|
|
United Transportation Workers |
11,807,000 |
1,459,300 |
|
|
Ironworkers Union |
11,638,900 |
936,000 |
|
|
American Postal Workers Union |
11,633,100 |
544,300 |
|
|
Nat'l Active & Retired Fed. Employees Association |
8,135,400 |
2,294,600 |
|
|
Seafarers International Union |
6,726,800 |
1,281,300 |
|
|
Source: Center for Responsive Politics, Washington, D.C. |
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - February 9, 2011
The meeting was called to order by President Couey at 1928 hours, the pledge of allegiance and opening prayer followed.
President Couey conducted the roll call of officer’s. Absent and excused were Treasure Iverson, Trustee Bennett, Inner Guard Taylor, and Trustee Calvin Young.
Discussion of air conditioner bids. President Couey updated members on the possibility of making a claim with the insurance.
Tim Taylor will have knee replacement and wife ill. Heather Creek is in need of comp time.
FOP tags are out. President Couey updated the procedure for purchasing them to members. Proceeds will go to the memorial fund.
Discussion over gate placed in fence line on December 2010. Attorney who owns the property denied placing the fence (Gate) on the property. President Couey conducted conversation to confirm.
Connie miller updated the State memorial service information on May 2, 2011
Cooks were congratulated for their meal.
New members were introduced, Scott and Keith, Austin and Wit.
Birthday Draw, June 21. No winners.
Uncle Louie won the 50/50 drawing
Good of the order and prizes were given out.
The meeting was closed at 1950 hours after the closing prayer.
***IT IS FINALLY HERE***
YOUR FOP LICENSE TAG HAS BEEN SHIPPED TO THE LOCAL TAG OFFICES AND IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE TO FOP MEMBERS.
The FOP Tag was shipped on January 27th. They are being sent to the main tag office in each county. Call you local tag office before you go to make sure they have them in stock.
Get your FOP tag and support the Memorial Foundation. Proudly display the FOP tag and know when you see one on the car or truck in front of you, you're following a proud FOP member.
You must have a notarized letter verifying your FOP membership (any state) from the Florida State Lodge to take to the local tag office with you to purchase the tag. The letter is available online at our web site (www.floridastatefop.org) just click on the image of the tag and fill out the short form. Joy will send you the letter by email.
HB303 Update
The FOP is working on HB 303. I’ve been in contact with Representative Costello and we have a meeting scheduled with him and Lisa Henning tomorrow to try and have him reconsider the content of HB 303.
Failing to reach a reasonable conclusion we will resort to further action and may call upon each of you to flood his office along with any other sponsor of the bill with calls and emails. There are several other bills being formulated that will impact FRS and pension across the state.
Our position is we are not willing to give up anything. Our pensions and benefits were paid for with the blood and sweat of our members.
We have joined in a coalition of 17 other public employee unions to combat this attack on our hard earned pensions and benefits.
James W. Preston
State President
Florida State Lodge
Note: you can download an analysis of the bill by clickinghere.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - November 22, 2010
The meeting was called to order by President Couey at 1922 hours, the pledge of allegiance and opening prayer followed.
President Couey conducted the roll call of officer’s. Absent and excused were Secretary Tagliarini, Treasurer Iverson, and Conductor Francesce.
Since the Secretary and Treasurer were absent, no reports were given.
The sick and distressed report was given.
Calvin Young was recognized for all of his hard work that he has put into the lodge building doing repairs. Great Job.
Special thanks went out to The Docobo Corporation for repairing an ongoing problem involving a severe roof leak.
We had a great meal served by Brother Bill Sudul. The cooks enjoyed the night off. Uncle Louie was presented his Master Grill apron by the other cooks.
Good of the order and prizes were given out.
The meeting was closed at 1950 hours after the closing prayer.
REMINDER - STATE LODGE SCHOLARSHIPS
Every year the Florida State Lodge provides scholarships to several of our finest students. , We support education and encourage everyone to apply.
The Florida State Lodge annual scholarship award applications are available online on the State Lodge web site www.floridastatefop.org. , The FOP provides up to $18,000 each year to ,dependent children of members that will be attending university. , In addition, the $2,500.00 Star and Shield Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship application is available to the son *or* daughter, grandson *or* granddaughter of an FOP member attending a law enforcement academy in Florida.
The deadline for submission of the applications is February 1, 2011. Award winners are selected in May during the Law Enforcement Memorial by the Scholarship Committee. , Winners are invited to the June Conference to receive their awards. Visit our web site and follow the links to the George Webster Scholarships for the application and rules of the scholarships. Best of luck to our students.
From the Desk of President James Preston
Subject: Retirement and the 2011 Session
As you all know I have been attending meetings and joining conference calls regarding the retirement issues for Florida. We have been working on the issue thru the elections and now during the interim before the 2011 session. These issues will effect both the Florida Retirement System (FRS) and 175/185 local law plans.
The most common questions?
1) What is the FOP's position on what you are willing to bring to the table?
2) What will the FOP be willing to give up?
3) If FRS has so many gains this year, why are legislators still saying that FRS is not sustainable?
4) Why if we are the third strongest retirement system in the nation do we need to fix FRS?
5) What changes are they looking at for FRS?
6) What changes are they looking at for local law plans?
Answers to the above questions:
1) I have been asked by the Firefighters, League of Cities, The Association Of Counties, AFSCME, and numerous legislators this question and my response is that until we know what the leadership in the Senate, House and Governor's office are proposing, we do not have an answer. This is mainly because if we tell them that we are willing to accept any cuts, then that will be the starting point, not the ending.
2) At this time NOTHING. Until factual numbers and not 30 second sound bites are given, we do not need to obligate ourselves to losses.
3) This is complicated but I will attempt to briefly explain our actuarial situation. By constitutional law the legislature must make no changes to FRS that are not actuarially sound. This means that all changes must have an actuarial study on the impact that it will have in the both the short and long term life of the plan. The studies are done and from those studies the legislature makes their decision on any! changes to the plan. These studies are used for 5 years and then they are sunset and new studies are done. This means that we are stuck with those studies for 4 more years, and unfortunately those studies were done with numbers from the 2008 recession/stock market plummet. This means that we are up against numbers that show FRS as being at a loss and not a gain. Those were the numbers used during the 2010 legislative session to excuse the legislators their attempts to lower benefits.
4) They are not acknowledging the new numbers, because the 2008 numbers give them excuse that they need to lower benefits and change the system. Everyone must remember that for 15 years they used on average about 287 million dollars of excess *or* surplus from the plan to lower the cost to themselves for the benefits.
5) A: Elimination of HIS (health insurance subsidy) . This means for those that are already retired and those not yet retired, the $5.00 for every year of cr! editable service that the retirees receive monthly will go away. This means a loss of $120 to $150 dollars a month for all retirees (past and future) . Unfortunately, this is not considered "retirement" and is not constitutionally protected, which means it will probably be the first item they take away.
B: DROP/Lowering Interest Rate: Currently, DROP is calculated at more than 6% interest, they are proposing to change that by at least half. Their reasoning is that the profit numbers are a lower percentage rate of return. (Remember they are using the numbers from the 2008 crash) What they are not telling everyone is that normally they make more than that in profit and they keep that within the plan, which then goes to surplus.
C: Employee Contribution to the plan: They are proposing that the employee pay 4% into their retirement plan. FRS is not presently structured for this and it would cause a major shift in how Florida is doing business. For one this will cause a drastic change in the monies that FRS is allowed to keep and how prof! it/surplus can be used. Meaning that they need to ask what the long term loss in profit this will cause the fund, which will mean less surplus to offset their costs and possibly causing employer costs to increase in the long run. This will also basically be a pay cut to anyone in FRS, meaning that since they have not received a raise in several years and will now have to pay into their retirement, they will be getting a 4% cut in salary.
D: Loss of Spiking: This means that they will attempt to remove the 550 allowable hours (Annual Leave) from the calculation and retirement. They will also be looking to do away with the calculation of all monies earned and simply do retirement calculation at base salary. (No overtime)
E: Closing Defined Benefit for new hires and placing all of them into Defined Contribution. The interesting thing about this idea, is that they have not looked at the long range impact on their cost. Fewer people and money being brought into FRS mean! s that the cost to the employer for Defined Contribution employees wil l go up.. They will also need to consider that they will lose the ability to offset costs with surplus profit (since that will be the property of the retiree) and will not be a part of cycle of the system any longer, as well as the fact that they will lose the money that they gain when someone leaves the system before vesting.
F: Vesting period changed : They are proposing that the vesting period be moved from 6 years to 10 years.
G: AFC (Average Final Compensation): The proposal effecting AFC is that they calculate your high ten instead of your high five and to use only your base salary in that calculation.
H: Loss of Special Risk 3% accrual rate: It has been suggested that they remove all the different classes, and go to a straight 1.8% accrual rate and there is also a mention of lowering Special Risk from 3% to 2%.
I: Doing away with COLA for retirees.
J: Basing retirement upon Social Security Age requirements.
6) The changes to Local Law Plans are being pushed by the League of Cities.
Back Ground: During 2008 most local law pension plans took a 10-15 % actuarial loss. During 2009 these same local law plans made a 5% gain, but still have an actuarial loss of 5-7.5 % actuarial liability. Most actuarials are based on a 7.5% profit margin to maintain sustainability. Unless the plans profit more than 8% percent over the next five years, the plans are going to show an underfunded liability *or* deficit. Which will mean that the costs will go up for the employers in the next actuarial study period (5yrs). If the market corrects itself and the profits go up 11% per year, then the plan will be running at a surplus.
Proposed changes:
A) Capping retirement at 70% instead of 100%
B) Exclude overtime from the Average Final Compensation (Base Salary)
C) Allowing Cities to have oversight of the pension board.
D) Not allowing any member of the plan to sit on the pension board.
E) Redefine the term "extra benefit" in the premium tax language.
F) Lower the minimum mandatory requirements for local law plans.
G) Allow to Cities to keep premium tax monies even if they close their plans and go into FRS.
H) Allow for cities to negotiate an increase in their contribution to the system without and increase in the benefits.
Plans the Cities have for getting out of their retirement dilemma .
a) "Share Plans" : Freeze all benefits for current and future retirees and the premium tax monies for the creation of a Defined Contribution plan on top of their pension.
b) Close / Restore: Close all local law plans, open a new plan at the minimum mandatory levels, and immediately restore old benefits. This will make those old benefits "new" and will allow the cities to use the premium tax dollars to fund "old" benefits(funding the program instead of enhancing). This is a way to get around the definition of "extra benefit".
c) Declaring Financial Emergency
d) Closing current plan and entering FRS.
e) Closing current plans and going to DC plan only.
f) Increasing employee contributions.
g) Wage freezes.
h) 2 tiered plans: with reduced benefits for new hires.
This is the outlook so far.. Everyone needs to keep in mind that there are constitutional protections for those that are in a plan, so don't let anyone convince you of how generous they are in allowing you to keep your earned benefits. Those are yours and can not be taken away (contractual obligations that are protected by the constitution). They can not take any retroactive actions and for those local law plans going threatening to go into FRS. They must keep your present retirement program open until the last person leaves, so they may go into FRS for new hires, but they can not do it for those already vested.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - October 11, 2010
President Couey called the meeting to order at 1922 hours. After the Prayer and the Pledge, the lodge was duly opened for business.
President Couey did roll call of the Elected Board. Secretary Tagliarini, Treasurer Iverson, and Conductor Francesce were absent and excused.
President Couey recognized and welcomed the guests that were present and thanked the cooks for another great meal.
A motion was made to waive the reading of last months meeting minutes and approved as the Secretary was not present.
A motion was made to waive the reading of last months Treasures report and approved as the Treasurer was not present.
Chaplain Smith gave the sick and distress report.
Under the Good of the Order, we had the drawings for the door prizes and 50/50. Uncle Louie was presented a “Master grill apron” for his expert grilling.
Trustee III Calvin Young has been very busy doing repairs to the inside of the lodge and painting the interior. I can not thank him enough for the time and effort that he has put into this lodge.
As reported before, the lodge suffered water damage from a roof leak. Al Docobo had a crew out at the lodge and the roof was repaired. Trustee III Calvin Young got to work replacing the drywall that was damaged and did a great job.
The meeting was closed at 1949 hours.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – August 10, 2010
President John Couey called the meeting to order at 19:30 hours.
After the prayer and pledge of allegiance from Chaplin Smith, the lodge was open for the transaction of regular business.
Roll call of officers: All board members were present with the exception of Secretary Tagliarini, Treasurer Iverson, and Inner Guard Taylor.
President Couey excused those who were absent.
The Secretary report was waived from the last meeting.
The treasurer report was waived in the absence of Treasurer Iverson being absent.
The Chaplin's report was given. Please keep all of our Brothers and Sisters in your prayers. It was great to see Chaplain Paul Blanchard and District 3 Director Gene Leonard at the meeting. Director Leonard is doing well.
The drawing for door prizes and 50/50 was held with Chaplain Smith winning the 50/50.
Representatives for the Florida West Coast Credit Union were present and did a presentation.
The Lodge is working things out so that if you are a member of FOP108, you can join either the Florida West Coast Credit Union or Suncoast Schools Credit Union.
President Couey thanked the cooks and staff for their time and great job once again.
The meeting was closed at 19:55 hours after the closing prayer.
Hope to see you at the September 14th meeting.
Please keep the families of Tampa Police Officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis in your thoughts and prayers.
They were both killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop on June 29, 2010.
 
Kocab, one of the two Tampa police officers gunned down in the line of duty, worked as a Plant City policeman for three years from Feb. 27, 2006 to April 20, 2009, when he was hired by the Tampa department. His wife Sara is nine months pregnant. He was honored several times, including being named officer of the year in 2007. Other commendations included employee of the month four times from 2006 to 2008.
David Lamar Curtis was a level-headed police officer who never took chances and loved his wife and his four boys. Curtis left the sheriff's office for Tampa police in 2006. A native of Mobile, Ala., Curtis had spent the past year assigned to patrol the area around North Boulevard Homes. He made 241 arrests and issued 174 traffic citations, according to his September 2009 evaluation. Less than a year after he was hired, Curtis was named Officer of the Month in August 2007 in recognition of his handling of a complicated child neglect case.
This is a picture of what the new tag will look like if members wish to buy them for there car or truck. This has been worked on long and hard and has come through and is an approved specialty tag by the State of Florida.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES- JUNE 8 ,2010
President Couey called the meeting to order at 1915 hours.
After the prayer and pledge of allegiance, the lodge was open for the transaction of regular business.
Roll call of offices: All board members were present with the exception of Secretary Tagliarini and Chaplain Smith. Both were excused by President Couey.
The Secretary report was waived from the last meeting.
Treasurer Iverson gave the treasurers report.
The Chaplains report was given. Please keep all of our Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.
President Robbie Robbins of Robert E. Lister Memorial Lodge # 66 attended our meeting and provided updates on District 3 Director Eugene Leonard and Director Leonard is still recovering.
The birthday drawing was held and door prizes were given out.
After the closing prayer President Couey closed the meeting at 1945 hours.
Hope to see you at the July 13th meeting.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – MAY 11, 2010
President John Couey called the meeting to order at 19:35 hours
After the prayer and pledge of allegiance from Chaplin Smith, the lodge was open for the transaction of regular business.
Roll call of officers: All board members were present with the exception of Secretary Tagliarini, Treasurer Iverson, and Inner Guard Taylor. President Couey excused those who were absent.
The Secretary report was waived from the last meeting.
The treasurer report was waived in the absence of Treasurer Iverson being absent.
The Chaplin's report was given. Please keep all of our Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.
Brother Paul Blanchard provided information on the various bills being proposed in Tallahassee. Brother Blanchard provided an update on District 3 Director Leonard.
The drawing was held for the framed 0911, and was won by President Couey. Thanks to all that bought tickets as over $400.00 was raised for the scholarship fund with half going to the FOPA.
President Couey thanked the cooks and staff for their time and great job once again.
The meeting was closed at 20:10 hours after the closing prayer.
Hope to see you at the June 8th meeting.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – MARCH 9, 2010
President John Couey called the meeting to order at 19:35 hours
After the prayer and pledge of allegiance from District 3 Chaplin Blanchard the lodge was open for the transaction of regular business.
Roll call of officers: All board members were present with the exception of Chaplain Smith and Treasurer Iverson, President Couey excused those who were absent.
The Secretary report was waived from the last meeting.
The treasurer report was waived in the absence of Treasurer Iverson being absent.
The Chaplin's report was given. Please keep all of the Brothers and Sisters in your prayers.
Brother Paul Blanchard reminded everyone about the Memorial Drive t-shirts, the Police Memorial in Tallahassee, and provided information on the various bills being proposed in Tallahassee.
50/50 end up being $55.00 and was won by Sister Connie Miller.
The birthday drawing was conducted, but none claimed the birth date so the dollar amount will increase for next months meeting.
President Couey thanked the cooks and staff for their time and great job once again.
The meeting was closed at 20:10 hours after the closing prayer.
Hope to see you at the April 13, 2010 meeting.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - FEBRUARY 9, 2010
President John Couey called the meeting to order at 19:27.
After the prayer and pledge of allegiance from Chaplin Smith the lodge was open for the transaction of regular business.
Roll call of officers: All board members were present with the exception of Vice President Tosdevine, Trustee Bennett, and Trustee Young, President Couey excused those who were absent.
The Secretary report was waived from the last meeting.
Treasurer Iverson gave the Treasurer's report, and the lodge is still afloat during these economic times.
The Chaplin's report was given. We want to keep well wishes for Asst Dist Dir Robbie Robbins who is going through a 4 week stay at Moffitt Cancer Center.
We had a guest speaker Sergeant Kenneth Escobio who spoke on behalf of ''Operation Patriot'' info can be seen by going to . http://operationpatriot.net/aboutus.aspx.
Brother Paul Blanchard reminded everyone about the Memorial Drive t-shirts, remember our fallen brothers and sisters, and the Police Memorial in Tallahassee.
50/50 at 53 dollars was won by Sue.
The birthday drawing was conducted and the date drawn was June 24 th, but none claimed the birth date so the dollar amount will increase for next months meeting.
President Couey thanked the cooks and staff for their time and great job once again.
The meeting was closed at 19:56 after the closing prayer.
Hope to see everyone again March 9, 2010 meeting.
Stay well and be safe out there.
Hello Brothers and Sisters
Our January meeting was opened by President John Couey at 19:30 hours on 01/12/2010 with prayer and Pledge of Allegiance directed by lodge Chaplin Richard Smith.
Our first order of business was for your newly elected board to take the oath of the office which was given by State President Jim Preston. The lodge was honored to have President Preston swear in the FOP and FOPA board for 2010/2011.
Roll call of officers was conducted and all officers were in attendance except for Treasurer Jim Iverson and Trustee II Bennett, both were excused. No Treasurers report was given due to Treasurer Iverson being absent.
Under Sick and Distressed, District 3 Director Gene Leonard is recovering from a surgical procedure and is at TGH and from what we were told is doing well. Our prayers go out to him and all those needing a special prayer.
Under the Good of the Order, the 50/50 raffle was held with Sister Connie Miller winning. Tickets were drawn for the door prizes and for the birthday drawing
Once again we thanked the cooks and staff for a great meal. The meeting was adjourned at 20:30.
As we all gathered this evening we saw new faces, we had a great meal from our cooks and lodge staff. We hope to see more members at the monthly meetings which are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Remember steak or chicken with all the sides and desserts. Come on out and see old and new friends and support your lodge
Thanks for coming out and hope to see you at next months meeting!!
Be safe and stay well.
Bill Kline,
Lodge 108 Secretary
Hello everyone my name is William Kline. I am your newly nominated Secretary, I will be stepping down from Trustee 1 and brother Tony Santos will be our new Trustee 1. Also, Brother Tim Taylor held the position of Inner Guard, while taking care of his wife at the same time. Both are full time obligations. Tag jr was nominated for the position of Inner Guard, so between the both of them I am sure that we have everything covered. Brother Taylor has always been there for the lodge and will cover any absent position just as tag jr will.
We are pleased and honored knowing that all other officers will remain the same and that brother John Couey is remaining our lodge President, thank you for your continued service and dedication.
I want to remind everyone that dinner and lodge meeting is the 2nd Tuesday of each month, we appreciate everyone coming out and hope this new year brings members we haven't seen, this is part of our dues, a great meal, door prizes, and a time for friends and family to get together.
Our last meeting, was our last ham & turkey dinner for the year, we would like to thank all who were involved in Nov & Dec dinner and its preparation.
We would like to thank a very special guest that we only see once a year, he took the time from his busy schedule to put a gleam on all the kids faces and a smile on the grown ups, and that would be Santa Clause, ho ho ho...
For all of you that haven't visited our web site, here is our link - http://www.flfop108.org/ visit it often.
We would also like to keep all the sick and distressed in our prayers and thoughts, and a special prayer for Gene Leonard, as he goes through his surgery. For those who don't know Gene he is our District Director from Manatee Lodge 70.In closing, the board would like to say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a safe New Year, we'll see you all back at our January 12th, 2010 meeting. In closing a note from our President; I apologize for the lack of membership meeting minutes for the month of November 2009 but I was very busy with the lodge and work. At the November meeting, the floor was opened for nominations for the Executive Board 2010/2011. As you are reading this, 2010/2011 sounds ……WOW…….Where has all of these years gone? A motion was made to suspend the General Meeting minutes as Santa was there with gifts for the children, and after a great meal of turkey and ham, the door prizes were awarded and everyone had a great time.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - October 13, 2009
President Couey called the meeting to order at 1910 hours. After the prayer and pledge of allegiance the lodge was open for the transaction of regular business.
Roll Call of Officers: All Board members were present with the exception of Secretary Britt and Inner Guard Taylor. President Couey excused those who were absent.
The Secretary report was waived as the Secretary was absent from the last meeting.
Treasurer Iverson gave the Treasurer’s report and the lodge is still afloat considering the economic situation we are in.
The Chaplains report was given. Brother Howard Richie is in the V. A. hospital and FOPA President Cindy Wilson is still undergoing treatment. Please keep them in your prayers as well as Inner Guard Taylor and his wife.
President Couey opened the floor for nominations as the current boards term is completed in December 2009. The following were nominated:
President
John Couey
1st Vice President Roger Tosdevine
2nd Vice President John Clamon
Secretary Bill Kline
Treasurer Jim Iverson
Chaplain Richard Smith
Conductor Joe Francesce
Inner Guard Tim Taylor
Outer Guard Don Gage
Trustee 1 Tony Santos
Trustee II Jerry Bennett
Trustee III Calvin Young
President Couey will open the floor for nominations at the November General Membership meeting. Please attend and get involved.
The steak and chicken was excellent and the cooks did an outstanding job as usual. Just a reminder...November and December dinners will be ham and turkey with all the fixings. This gives the cooks a little time off, and the holiday meal is very good, so try to come out to enjoy it.
The 50/50 was done, and Brother J. D. Forbes walked away with $55.00. No one was present to win the birthday draw, and we had some great door prizes that were given out to the winning members.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - September 8, 2009
At approx 1930 hours, President Couey opened the lodge and after the opening prayer and pledge of allegiance, President Couey conducted roll call of the Board members noting that Vice President Tosdevine, Conductor Francesce, Inner Guard Taylor and Outer Guard Gage were excused.
The Treasurers report was given by Treasurer Iverson and our funds our down for various reasons, but once we get the payroll deduction check from the office, we will be doing a lot better.
Under Sick and Distress, it was brought up that Cindy Wilson is still being treated for cancer, Tim Taylors wife is still being treated for her cancer. Edwina Stapleton fell and broke her arm. Retired Sgt. Bob Lee has serious medical concerns and I will keep you posted as I hear. Retired Pilot Clyde Dixon has terminal cancer, and our prayers go out to each and every one of them. Please keep them in your prayers.
The cooks did an excellent job cooking the steaks and chicken. It was a great meal as usual.
Under the good of the order Rebecca Iverson won the birthday draw and Margo Perez walked away with $60.00 in the 50/50.
The meeting was closed at approx 2015 hours.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - August 11, 2009
The meeting was called to order by President Couey at 19:27 hours, the pledge of allegiance and opening prayer followed.
President Couey conducted the roll call of officer's. Absent were Vice President Tosdevine, Secretary Britt, Treasurer Iverson, Conductor Francesce, and Inner Guard Taylor.
Since the Secretary and Treasurer were absent, no reports were given.
President Couey inquired as to the sick and distressed. Brother Calvin Young's mother had a stroke and is under medical care. We shall keep him and his mother in our prayers.
President Couey congratulated Brother Hartley in his recent promotion to Major. It was Uncle Louie and Rebecca Kline birthday. Congrats.......
President Couey thanked Brother Calvin Young for making safety improvements around the lodge including the black and yellow caution markings for the steps and sidewalk.The cooks were recognized for taking the time to prepare the steaks, The steaks were filet mignon and were donated by a supporter that wished to remain anonymous. Thanks and a great job !
The birthday draw was conducted and the date drawn was August 27th, but none claimed the birth date so the dollar amount will increase for next months meeting.
The 50/50 was conducted and Patti Couey won the $66.00 pot as her ticket was called. The door prizes were given out under the Good of the Order and we hope everyone had a great night.
The meeting was closed at 19:46 after the closing prayer.
Our general membership meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month.
Dinner is at 6:00 pm followed by our membership meeting at 7:15 pm. In addition to a steak and chicken dinner with all the trimmings, our meeting affords the opportunity to inform our members of the current events of the lodge, solicit input from our members and hear from special guests. It is only through our collective and concerted efforts to organize, to become active and involved, that we might make a huge difference in the outcomes that affect us. We have nearly 800 members of FOP Lodge 108, of which Participation is the key to success and that begins with you making the decision to attend the meeting this month. So mark it in your calendar today and come out for a great dinner and good meeting.....
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES - June 9, 2009
President Couey called the meeting to order at 1905 hours. After the Prayer and the Pledge, the lodge was duly opened for business.
President Couey did roll call of the Elected Board. 2nd Vice President Tosdevine, Secretary Britt, Conductor Francesce, Inner Guard Taylor, and Trustee 2 Bennett were absent and excused.
President Couey recognized and welcomed the guests that were present and thanked the cooks for another great meal.
Scholarships in the amount of $5,500.00 were passed out to the recipients included the following folks:
Kaela Nassief Alana Escobio
Tim Connett Kaeleigh Hill
Megan Cochran Rebecca Hurley
A motion was made to waive the reading of last months meeting minutes and approved as the Secretary was not present.
Treasurer Iverson gave the Treasurer report and the lodge is holding well during the economy crunch. A motion was made to accept the Treasurer report and approved.
Chaplain Smith gave the sick and distress report.
Under the Good of the Order, we had the drawings for the door prizes and 50/50
After the closing prayer, the meeting was adjourned at 1945 hours.
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