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Residents press council on police pay and a proposed standalone gun range; critic says project diverts officer pay
Summary
Public commenters pressed the council to prioritize officer compensation and questioned the city’s spending on a proposed $19 million standalone gun range, alleging union campaign spending tied to recent elections and urging redirecting $1.1 million in city allocations to officer pay.
During the public‑comment period several speakers urged the council to address officer compensation and to reconsider spending priorities for a proposed standalone gun range.
Resident Wayne Craig (District 1) said the city “generally does well” on working environment but that pay was lagging; he argued that if the city reallocated $1.1 million from the standalone gun‑range project to officer pay it could meaningfully raise base pay or pay bonuses for officers. Craig asserted the gun‑range plan had been pushed by a specific council member and by a retiring police chief and alleged the police union spent about $70,000 on campaign mailers in recent elections on behalf of particular candidates. “This $19,000,000 gun range was sold to the public as free...that council claim is unraveling despite that the city has already allocated over $1,300,000 and burned through another…more than $200,000,” Craig said.
The remarks were met with no immediate council action on the project itself; staff clarified later in the meeting that restricted one‑time art funds (e.g., John Parsons Public Art Fund) cannot be repurposed to recurring salary commitments. The council did not take action on the gun‑range item at this meeting.
What’s next: The comment record is part of the public minutes; council and staff may address compensation or specific project budgets in future agenda items or during labor negotiations. The council did not vote on the gun‑range proposal at this meeting.
