Form over Substance

Cheer squads and Pom-Pom girls and boys root for their team right or wrong, winning or losing, no matter what.  Often they don't even know the score or what a first down is........The real question is this:  Do cheerleaders ignore reality and  put form over substance?

So there are still those out there that remain confused.  They are either confused or they are being deliberately naive, disingenuous and intentionally blind to what is an obvious fact.  Or maybe they are just being cheerleaders for their hero.  I don't know.

So let me spell it out for everyone right here.

On March 9th, the BCC and authorized representatives of the ECSO met in a mediation session.  The culmination of that marathon, 9-hour mediation was a written mediation settlement agreement.

The agreement specified the framework of the deal, which is important to note.  This is the SUBSTANCE of the agreement.  The salient, substantive parts of this signed, written agreement are as follows:

--ECSO will receive $1 Million additional in April for the budget for this year (FY2018),  
--ECSO will receive $2.6 Million more for FY 2019 (total to include All Benefits and ALL raises-totaling $60,339,867)
--ECSO will receive $2.6 Million more for FY 2020 (total to include All Benefits-and ALL raises totaling $62,939,867)
--ECSO will receive $2.9 Million more for FY 2021 (total to include  All Benefits And All raises-totaling $65,839,867)

Additional terms for ECSO:  50% of LETF will be spent to offset the SRO program-- when possible (which frees up additional Sheriff General Fund Dollars for salaries, raises, etc.)

Additional terms for BCC:


$125,000 of Commissioners Discretionary Funds (50%) yearly beginning in April 2018 shall be utilized to help fund this agreement during the term of the agreement.

Outside agencies in the General Fund shall not receive more than $734,374.00 yearly from the BCC during the term of this agreement.

The county's final version of the inter local agreement, based solely upon the mediation settlement agreement, has been delivered, and it is here for any and all to inspect.  None of the salient terms and agreed-upon dollar figures (THE SUBSTANCE) from the mediation settlement agreement have been changed--and the only language added was standard, boiler-plate legalese that is common to agreements such as this. This is the FORM of the document--and it has no impact on the SUBSTANCE of the agreement per se.  Capeche?

The reason I'm told the ECSO has balked is because they wanted to ADD language into the interlocal after the BCC affirmed the signed mediation settlement document on 3-15-2018.  This language that ECSO demanded be added to the interlocal was not simply FORM;  This language that ECSO demanded be added would have dramatically  changed the SUBSTANCE of the agreement--adding additional costs to the BCC over and above agreed-upon amounts as per the signed settlement agreement.

So to those who are inaccurately espousing that the BCC "added language"---don't be disingenuous.  Don't be a tool.  Look at the facts if you are capable of comprehending them and stop obfuscating the



 truth, feasting on red herrings, and conflating issues (e.g. ECSO union issues, ECSO previous salary scale inaction, ECSO retention issues, boiler plate language as "added language", etc.).

Focus for a moment if you can and simply look at the agreement that was reached and just signed, unless you want to intentionally be oblivious to reality because you are a "fan" of the Sheriff.  But attention all fans, groupies, cheerleaders and partisans--pay attention to this:

We (BCC) have not added one thing to that final inter local document, nor have we attempted to, that changed the substance of the agreement. 

Don't be intentionally confused by form over substance.  It is all about maintaining the substance of the agreement, and we have not altered that.  The ECSO and only the ECSO have attempted to do this--change the substance of the agreement after the fact.

And this is the reason ECSO has yet to sign the inter local that sits on the Sheriff's desk.  This is the reason ECSO is  now desperately trying to back out of the deal.

But a deal is a deal, and they made a deal. They should honor their word and keep the deal--even the most loyal cheerleader knows this, right?

Stay tuned