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Lewiston council debates three-tier budget cuts and whether police take‑home cars should stay
Summary
Lewiston City Council reviewed three savings scenarios that would add between about $1 million and $1.9 million in reductions (the larger tiers include staff layoffs) and debated a proposal to finance take‑home police vehicles that supporters say would help recruit officers and could save money long term. No vote was taken; council will reconvene Thursday for a phased revaluation presentation.
Lewiston City Council members on Tuesday reviewed three budget‑cut scenarios to reduce the city’s operating increase and sparred over whether to include a proposal to finance take‑home police vehicles.
Administrator Kinrath, who led the presentation, said the city has already cut $4.1 million from the budget and offered three additional tiers of savings: a tier‑one package designed to reach roughly $1 million in additional savings without layoffs, tier two that adds three staffed positions to be eliminated, and tier three that adds five more layoffs. Kinrath said the city also just received updated information on a phased‑in property revaluation and will hear a full presentation from Bill Healy on Thursday about that option and its costs.
The tier‑one worksheet showed $1,044,442 in savings in the column without the police take‑home vehicle proposal and $1,012,515 in the column that includes the take‑home program. Kinrath identified specific line‑item changes in tier one: shifting $106,000 from a homeless TIF payment, $50,000 from LATC bus vehicles, a $150,000 reduction to workers’…
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