Finance committee recommends police budget transfer to cover software, safety and staffing costs

The Annapolis Finance Committee voted to forward a fiscal-year-end transfer request from the police department that reallocates funds from salaries and benefits to contractual services, supplies and capital outlay.

Captain Amy McGinnis told the committee the transfer covers several unbudgeted or higher-than-expected costs, including increased software fees, unexpected costs on a new range ventilation project, additional ammunition use because of training on optics-equipped handguns, IT security work prompted by an Anne Arundel County incident, and a planned polygraph instrument purchase. "There was also our new range ventilation project had a number of unexpected costs that we covered with funds that were supposed to be spent on other things," McGinnis said. "Our current polygraph instrument is over 10 years old, and is out of date... they're about $10,000."

The motion associated with FT-14-25 seeks to move approximately $335,000 in funding that had been allocated for salaries to other line items. Finance staff and the police department said that the $335,000 roughly represents funding for about two officer positions, but the committee cautioned that the per-officer cost varies by rank and whether hires are new recruits or laterals. "It depends on the level," a finance staff speaker said. "...at the sergeant level, the ask was $167,000 for a new position. So it's roughly $160 to $180 per officer, give or take."

Committee members asked for clearer per-officer cost figures so future staffing and budget documents can reflect precise impacts. The committee voted unanimously to give FT-14-25 a favorable recommendation to the full council.

The discussion made clear these are internal reallocations at year-end rather than requests for additional net funds; staff described the transfer as covering shortages created by higher-than-expected costs and earlier budgeting assumptions that are being adjusted now.