Expansion of downtown security patrol constrained by budget, staff says

City staff told the Downtown Redevelopment Board that expanding the downtown security patrol program would require additional budgetary approval because the current contract approaches the program’s available funding and expansion would increase costs substantially. A presentation slide and staff comments showed recent security patrol reports; staff said the program is capturing information and has been well received by merchants. The staff member said the current downtown security allocation is "about $125,000 for the year," and that expanding patrol boundaries or adding vehicles would raise costs, possibly doubling the line item depending on the scope. Staff said any budget increase would need to be requested from the elected officials and justified with supporting police-report data and a defined boundary for the expanded service. Board members asked about the status of expanding coverage to areas such as Ridgewood and Palmetto; staff said expansion is possible but must be funded in a future budget and that sustainability over multiple years must be considered. Staff offered to provide the security reports on request; the meeting referenced a recent report showing about 80 recorded items or tickets (details in the agenda packet). No change to the security contract or budget was approved at the meeting; staff recommended bringing any proposed expansion request to the city commissioners for consideration.