Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Unified Police Department outlines budget process, pledges to stay within 5% preliminary cap
Summary
UPD Chief described a three‑phase budget approach and said he committed to the UPD board's preliminary budget increase maximum of 5% while aiming to preserve service levels.
Unified Police Department Chief delivered an update to the Midvale City Council on April 15 about the UPD budget process for the next fiscal year, describing a staged review that he said aims to keep Midvale’s police portion within the Unified Police Department board’s preliminary budget increase maximum (PBIM) of 5%.
Chief Mazarin told council members the UPD began budget work earlier than in prior years to provide cities faster estimates and more time for local planning. He described three phases: commanders submit needs; a second round looks at potential cuts and unconventional ideas (what he called “crazy talk”); and a final phase when finance staff and commanders reconcile the numbers. “The EPD board…came in and said, here’s our preliminary budget increase maximum or PBIM, and we’re gonna put you 5%. That’s your target. Do not go above that. And I made a commitment to the EPD board that I’m not gonna go above that, and I won’t,” Mazarin said.
Why it matters: Police costs are a major component of Midvale’s municipal budget. The chief said the department is sensitive to competing city funding needs and will try to preserve service levels while meeting the board’s constraint.
Timeline and process: Mazarin said UPD expects to present a departmental tentative budget in May and the UPD board will approve a tentative figure in June. He said a final number is dependent on later inputs (insurance, other fees), and that the department would present a figure intended to protect levels of service. The department’s recommended figures would be communicated to the city manager and mayor and, ultimately, to the council through the usual municipal budget process.
Council interaction: Council members thanked the chief and recognized the role of mid‑level supervisors in executing programs. No formal action or vote took place on the UPD budget at this meeting.
What’s next: Chief Mazarin said he will finalize phases and meet with finance staff before bringing a recommended figure to the UPD board and to Midvale officials. The council and city staff will review and incorporate UPD’s numbers as part of the city’s tentative and final budget adoption schedule.
