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Police budget seeks raises, equipment and staffing money; overtime and vehicle funding highlighted
Summary
Police leadership presented a proposed $16,996,000 department budget with a 4.39% increase over the revised year, including pay assumptions, three new squad cars, laptop replacement and possible second K‑9 unit; overtime, training costs and vehicle replacement funding were discussed.
Police Chief (name not specified) told the council the proposed police department budget is about $16,996,000, a roughly 4.39% increase over the revised budget, and said the plan includes a 4.5% salary increase assumption for sworn officers.
"We are preparing for the loss of 3 or more police officers due to retirements or resignations," the chief said, describing recruitment, training and equipment needs. He listed priorities that include purchasing three new squad cars (about $197,000, to be paid from fleet replacement funds), a $140,000 laptop-replacement project for patrol officers, extending the Flock Safety license-plate-reader contract at the current level for 20 cameras, and equipping patrol rifles and pistols with red-dot sights. "We'd like to try to get back to" two K‑9 units, the chief said, to provide daily coverage rather than a single unit with off days.
On overtime, the chief said the department projected about $465,000 in overtime expenditures (a reduction from the prior year), noting overtime can increase when the department loses officers or responds to major crimes. He also said the department expects roughly $352,000 in offsetting revenues from contracts and reimbursements (school-district officers, housing authority agreements and training reimbursements).
Sherry and the chief explained vehicle purchases will be paid partly from the vehicle replacement fund; the department plans to contribute $112,000 to the vehicle-replacement fund next year and use existing replacement-fund balances to buy three cars this year. The chief cautioned the collective-bargaining contract is still open; if the final contract increases wages above the 4.5% assumption, the city would either need council approval for a supplemental appropriation or department budget cuts.
Ending
Council members asked several operational questions about K‑9 coverage, auxiliary officers and staffing projections; no formal vote was taken during this presentation.
