How do you define "double-dipping?" - Granite Grok

How do you define “double-dipping?”

My friend former Laconia Mayor Tom Tardif has long been concerned about the treatment of so-called "detail work" here in NH. You know- you see it all the time at construction sites, church parking lots, and concert events. While in any other circumstance, such work arrangements would be properly considered "subcontracted" labor, it’s not so when it comes to police details. And let’s not forget the use of the cruisers. While we wouldn’t dream of allowing someone in the highway department (at least knowingly) the use of the town backhoe for side jobs, cruiser usage in much the same fashion goes mostly unquestioned.
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Statewide in NH, the concept of such detail work has implications beyond the aforementioned. The public employee pension system, often in the news these days as it careens towards insolvency, is heaviliy impacted as well. Detail work feeds into the calculation of retirement dollars paid out by the ailing taxpayer-funded agency.
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Interestingly, the recent firings of police officers in Alton has provided  some insight into the otherwise closely-guarded matter of "detail work." Tom wrote the following piece based on what he’s learned:
Watching the Alton Selectman’s Correia hearing should be a wakeup call to every city, town and state official. How do you define "double-dipping"?  Is it the taking pay for outside details while receiving pay for hours not worked for regular duty? The answer is obvious YES.  What is problematic was lack of documentation on that point.
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The common off-duty traffic control job is privately paid for work.  When an “Off-Duty” police officer act in the capacity as a traffic control person, the work performed is nothing other than a part-time job.  “Privately paid” work is first offered to off-duty police officers in the city or town the work is to be performed.  Then, as described during the Correia hearings, the part-time job is offered to surrounding off-duty law enforcement communities’ employees.  If no off-duty police officers, “salaried” or hourly, opt to work the traffic details then it is offered to the off-duty county sheriffs.  Ultimately, a private employer may be allowed to provide a certified flag person.

How one defines documentation is the issue. In the private sector, if an employer even allows its employees to use their skills at a second job using the employer’s equipment at a part-time job, it is not accounted for by that company.  When allowed, a part-time job is the responsibility of the individual.  They, as individuals, are liable for work performed, taxes, FICA, insurances etc, and damages to borrowed equipment. Either they are a subcontractor or a part-time employee of another company.
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The town of Alton’s double dipping issues are not unique; it is the only instance where a city or town manager took the proper action. 
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In the City of Laconia, back in the late 80’s, it occurred two years in a row in two different departments.  The first instance was when Fire Department Salaried Employees took a $500 uniform allowance, simply because the Union hourly employees had that provision in the contract.  No such provision existed in the cities Wage and Compensation Plan. That practice was ended but no disciplinary action was initiated because the legal opinion was that the council appropriated the money so they contemporaneously approved it. In other words didn’t ask don’t tell.
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Then, it was discovered that the Police Commission allowed Police Department “salaried” police officer to get paid an extra days pay for every holiday, a day that was automatically paid by virtue of “salaried” (24/7 365 day), double dipping.  This was simply called innovative management.  However, the practice was halted by the police commission.  Then, it was discovered that the Fire Department had been double dipping by doing the same thing, getting an extra days pay simply because it was a holiday, more double dipping.  It also took place when a Department head was attending a State Board meetings while also being paid by the state.
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The justification was that in Police and Fire departments, the white shirt salaried employees worked motorcycle week and did not get any extra pay or overtime, so it was way to pay them for the extra hours work.  Once again it’s how you define “salaried”.
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The issue of co-mingling taxpayer dollars with user fees/private money such as those with Water and Sewer rate payers is resolved by the establishment of Enterprise Funds.  Defined as a department, accounted for like a private business, owned by the city.  In the case of privately paid “Off-Duty” privately paid jobs, work done by off-duty police officers, only the City of Manchester, in part, is known to have corrected the co-mingling of Tax dollars with Private money.  At the recommendation of auditors, a special fund was created.  Police officers contributed an amount on deposit in this fund, sufficient to pay officers who work a part-time job while “off-duty”.  When an officer works a part-time job, at the moment he or she is paid through the city’s payroll system, the necessary money is “contemporaneously” transferred into the City’s General Fund. If and when the private company pays its bill for a traffic control job, the “Special” Fund is reimbursed.  This method insures that at no time does the co-mingling of Tax payer money with private money take place.  However, no mention is made regarding the rental, by the off-duty police officers, of a fully equipped municipal vehicle.  Laconia has an INTERNAL SERVICE FUND but no REVENUE line item for rental for privately paid traffic detail was found.  Why?
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What has not been asked is what the impact upon any community’s contributions to the New Hampshire pension fund, or the long term impact in calculating the annual employees’ pension?  Double dipping is not an Alton problem it is a statewide problem that can no longer be addressed with eye’s wide shut.
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Thomas A. Tardif
Laconia, NH
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