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Police staffing, 24-hour coverage and police station funding dominate committee questions
Summary
Budget committee members pressed staff May 15 on whether the St. Helens Police Department can maintain 24-hour coverage under reduced-staffing scenarios and on funding for a proposed police station.
Budget committee members focused prolonged questioning on the St. Helens Police Department’s staffing, overtime exposure and the city’s police facility plans during the May 15 session.
Finance staff described proposed police personnel-services spending of roughly $5.335 million in the coming fiscal year and an estimated year-to-date cost of about $5.047 million. Chief Hogue — summarized in staff responses at the meeting — said the department could maintain 24-hour patrol coverage with the current proposed staffing but that gaps have been covered with overtime while vacancies are filled. “We cannot reduce the size of the department and maintain 24-hour coverage as overtime is currently being used to cover the patrol hours,” staff reported quoting the chief.
Several committee members asked the chief to appear at the next budget meeting to answer detailed questions about how many sworn officers are required, overtime exposure and whether detective and school-resource positions are required to maintain current service levels. Staff reported the proposed budget includes funding to support detectives and a school-resource officer and indicated intergovernmental revenue from the school district would offset the cost of any SRO assignment.
Separately, the committee discussed the police-station project. Council members and staff reiterated that the city currently has $12.6 million identified for the station; members asked whether supplemental funds from pending property sales could be applied if the final construction cost exceeds that amount. Staff said revenues from property sales are timing-dependent and would require supplemental budgeting if realized after adoption of the fiscal-year budget.
No decision on police staffing levels or on a station-construction commitment was made at the meeting. The committee scheduled additional review and requested the police chief attend the next session to answer operational and cost questions.
