Dear Members,
It has been over nine months since I took over
as President of the Association. Since then the
Board has done everything necessary to make the
Association run more efficiently by fostering
partnerships and reevaluating expenses.
Recently, we had to release our Event Planner do
to a conflict of interest. This caused the Board
of Directors to reevaluate the Association’s
employee structure, cost of salaries and overall
expenses. During this, the following expenses
were reviewed.
- Cleaning Service
- Accountant
- Legal Representation
- Event Planner
- Office Manager
- Web page provider
The Association does well
with telemarketing, but the organization cannot
survive off it alone. This would be a bad
business practice that the Board of Directors
feels strongly about. Since our evaluation of
expenses, we researched other alternatives and
options, in order to save the Association money.
The last thing we would ever want to see is for
us to loose the Hall.
In May, the Board of Directors felt it was
necessary to foster a partnership with the Local
5000 and start working together in order to be
more efficient. Our motto is "Divide and
Conquer." The Union would address pay and
benefits and the Association would address the
benevolent issues. This has worked very well for
both organizations. A combined committee was
created containing members from each Board. This
will allow committee members to stay appraised
of the issues and goals that each board
discusses. We will also be assisting each other
to accomplish these goals.
It was also decided by the Board of Directors to
allow the Local 5000 to rent an office in the
Association. This provides income for the
Association, but more importantly has helped
build the relationship between the two
organizations.
This is not the beginning of a Union takeover
and you have my word on this. Both organizations
have totally different structures and missions.
Working together is what makes us effective and
efficient and this is the goal of both
organizations.
After negotiations with the Union, they have
offered to pay a monthly stipend towards
salaries for employees of the Association. This
was agreed upon based on our employees assisting
with phone calls, mail, clerical work and
fundraising etc. The Association maintains
control of the employees, except for a new Event
Coordinator/Fundraiser position created by both
organizations. This position is split 50/50. The
Association will also be able to hire an
Administrative Assistant. This agreement will
save the Association a substantial amount of
money.
In addition, we have replaced our accountant and
also switched our web site provider, which will
provide additional savings.
Our biggest change came down to our legal
provider. This was a hard decision, but
necessary. The Association was paying $3000.00
per month for legal representation. The Board
was able to negotiate a deal with Briglia &
Hundley. The agreement is to provide an office
in the Association for the attorney so he will
be available to active and retired members,
onsite, at least 2 to 3 days a week. The law
firm will also fulfill all the same obligations
to our members as in the past. The cost to the
Association is $1000.00 per month. This is a
savings of $24,000.00 per year. The Board was
unanimous on this issue and agrees it was a
smart business decision.
The total savings to the Association for all the
changes is over $53,000.00 per year.
In closing I would like to say that the
association membership is at it's highest in
years, with 755 active members. It makes me
proud that the active and retired members of the
department have taken ownership of the
Association.
I would like to personally thank the Board of
Directors for helping make these positive
changes.
Thank you,
Jaysyn J. Carson, President
Fairfax County Police Association
