Sheriff Ric Bradshaw explains reason PBSO-Boynton Beach Police merger won't happen

BOYNTON BEACH — The proposed merger between the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Boynton Beach's police department is off.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw released a two-paragraph statement recenlty saying it was Boynton Beach's decision to pull out of negotiations because of a "substantial pension fund liability that affects the merger."

In April, the city commission voted 3-1 to study the possibility of blending city police with the sheriff's office. PBSO responded by submitting a $42.4 million bid to take over law-enforcement services in Palm Beach County's third-largest municipality.

Discussion of the merger was listed on the agenda for Tuesday's city commission meeting and was expected to include a staff report comparing the costs in money and personnel between keeping the city force or contracting with PBSO.

Bradshaw's statement stressed that city officials approached the sheriff's office about a merger and that "at no time did we ask for or initiate the discussions."

"During these meetings the parameters of the merger were laid out as to each Agencies' responsibilities so no surprises would be discovered," according to the statement.

PBSO vehicles would have been marked with 'City of Boynton Beach' if merger was approved

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The exact nature of the pension fund liability referred to by Bradshaw isn't specified.

John Kazanjian, president of the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association, said the issue arose because the city's $38 million law-enforcement budget for 2021-22 included a $7 million contribution to the city's Municipal Officers Retirement Fund. That liability was to continue going forward for years, he said.

Because the city spends far less than $38 million on actual law-enforcement services, Kanzanjian said, it wanted PBSO to lower its $42.4 million bid substantially.

"The sheriff wasn't going to do it. He couldn't do it," Kazanjian said. "I don't know how they include that $7 million in the budget. If you look at West Palm Beach and all these big cities, that number doesn't come out of the police budget. It comes out of the general fund."

On Friday, the city told the sheriff's office about the unfunded liability, Bradshaw said in the statement.

"At all times and in each meeting it was made very clear that at any time the City was not satisfied with the process they were free to terminate the discussions," he said.

Attempts to reach Mayor Ty Penserga and interim City Manager Jim Stables Monday afternoon were unsuccessful. Penserga will make a statement at Tuesday's city commission meeting, according to a city news release issued Monday night.

Boynton Beach police have been embroiled in turmoil since the end of 2021, beginning with the death of 13-year-old motorbike rider Stanley Davis III while he was being chased at high speeds by an officer with a history of disciplinary issues and a merry-go-round in the chiefs office, with three different people leading the department since April.

Joe DeGiulio was recently promoted from interim police chief to the permanent position by Stables.

Kazanjian said Monday that members of the union who work for the city police department were "overwhelmingly" in favor of a merger and were disappointed it didn't go through.

It's not hard to see why – some Boynton Beach police officers could have expected to receive double-digit percentage salary increases.

PBSO's proposal called for a captain to oversee the department. That PBSO captain could earn as much as $196,000, $36,000 more than what the current Boynton Beach police chief earns.

The maximum salary for a PBSO sergeant is $121,34; it's $113,128 in Boynton Beach. And a PBSO deputy can earn up to $111,108; the figure is $94,191 for a Boynton Beach patrolman.

PBSO salaries vs Boynton Beach Police Department

That doesn't include other benefits given to PBSO employees such as longevity pay that rewards employees for years on the job, a perk that can increase base pay by as much as 10%, and 480 hours of sick-time payout, six times the figure in Boynton Beach.

But Monday's announcement was likely welcomed by some of the city police department's biggest critics.

Since the city commission announced its decision to pursue negotiations with PBSO, residents have shown up at the board's twice-monthly meetings to rail against the proposal.

At the April 2 commission meeting, nearly two dozen people spoke about the merger during public comment and not a single one was in favor. Many of those speakers have spent months bashing the police department's historical treatment of the city's Black community following the death of Davis III, but insist they prefer to stick with city police.

"I know we can fix the problems in our police department," one speaker said.

Now the city will get that opportunity,

Jorge Milian is a journalist covering Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jmilian@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @Caneswatch. Help support our work, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Sheriff: Merger talks between PBSO, Boynton Beach Police are off