City of Hollywood Police officers will have to live with the pension reforms that voters wanted. An appeals court has dismissed a police union lawsuit against changes made to the City of Hollywood police pension plan. The Fourth District Court of Appeal agreed with the lower court and said that the police union should have sought relief before the Public Employee Relations Commission, according to an article by Susannah Bryan in the March 9 Sun Sentinel.
In September 2011, Hollywood voters approved a referendum allowing city officials to cut pension benefits for police officers, fire fighters and general employees. Residents were told that if the referendum was not approved taxes might increase by as much as 23 percent because the city was facing a $38 million budget hole. The police union filed a lawsuit asking that the police pension plan be declared illegal and reversed saying Hollywood did not have the right to put the matter to the voters. The case was dismissed by Broward Circuit Judge Michele Towbin Singer on May 16. The union appealed on May 28, according to an article by Susannah Bryan in the March 9 Sun Sentinel.
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