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Council hears limits on SRO program and specialized units as budget forces tradeoffs
Summary
Council discussed the school resource officer program, police staffing shortages, and a $14,000 request related to SWAT equipment; staff said the school district can currently fund only 5% of an SRO position and that SWAT participation provides shared capabilities with county partners.
Police and public‑safety staffing and specialized units were raised repeatedly during Shelton’s June 10 budget session, as council members weighed the value of School Resource Officers (SROs), SWAT participation and recruitment pressures against the city’s fiscal constraints.
Staff told council that historically one SRO position was cost‑shared by the school district (75 percent paid by the district and 25 percent by the city) but that the district now reported it could only contribute about 5 percent of the cost. The council heard that, with current staffing shortages, dedicating a full FTE to an SRO is fiscally difficult. One council member said she favored restoring the SRO because of long‑term benefits for police‑youth relations and recruitment, while others said the district’s 5‑percent contribution made the previous cost‑sharing model infeasible this year.
Council also considered a line item for SWAT equipment and participation. Staff said Shelton contributes personnel to a multi‑agency SWAT team anchored by Mason County; the council discussed a roughly $14,000 equipment request for protective gear and specialty equipment. One council member said that if cuts were necessary, a very small, one‑time SWAT equipment request would be the kind of line item they would consider cutting because it does not eliminate the county‑anchored team; other council members emphasized training and officer development value.
Across policing items, council members repeatedly emphasized recruitment challenges and the tradeoffs of keeping core patrol staffing versus specialized programs. Council asked staff to provide clearer cost and staffing projections for SRO options and to describe how SWAT participation and equipment requests affect overtime and training costs. No changes were adopted at the session.
