Trophy Club CCPD board uses reserves to fund police cadet position

The Trophy Club Crime Control and Prevention District board voted unanimously in July 2025 to amend its fiscal year 2026 budget and use reserve funds to hire and train a police cadet/over-hire position to bolster department staffing.

Chief Grama told the board, “We have just over $300,000 in our reserve fund,” and described a proposal to use a portion of those reserves to fund a single cadet position. “The cost is just over a $100,000 a year to fund that, for a full year,” Grama said, adding that the department expects the hire to move into the general fund after backfilling and that unspent budget allotments would roll over in future years.

The board opened and closed a public hearing on the budget amendment; no members of the public were signed up to speak. The presiding officer then called for a motion to approve the amendment, and the board approved it unanimously.

Why it matters: The district said the cadet hire is intended to create a local pipeline of officers at a time when lateral hires have slowed. Chief Grama described recruiting challenges, saying it can take “many, many months to be able to fill positions” and that other jurisdictions sometimes offer higher pay for lateral hires.

Details of the plan and training timeline: Grama described the role as a standard police officer position that would begin with cadet hiring and certification. “Almost a full year of training,” she said, outlining an approximate schedule: a six-month academy, a three- to four-month field training officer (FTO) program, plus one to two months of additional specialized or community-service training. The board would require a multi-year commitment from recruits; Grama said recruits currently sign a two-year commitment after training and that the department will require a three-year commitment after training for cadets hired under this program, creating what she described as a four-year total service expectation when training time is included. Grama said the department would include recoupment language in offer letters if a recruit leaves early.

Funding and sustainability: The board discussed tapping reserves while noting current budget allotments include one-year funding that can roll over when not spent. Grama stated the reserve balance and said the funding is available and sustainable for the program as described. She also said that once a cadet fills a backfilled vacancy, the payroll cost would transition into the general fund.

Formal action: After the public hearing and discussion, a board member moved to approve the fiscal year 2026 CCPD budget amendment to fund the cadet/over-hire position; another member seconded. The presiding officer announced a unanimous approval. The board did not record an individual roll-call tally in the transcript.

The meeting adjourned shortly after the vote.