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Council keeps five-officer plan after debate over COPS grant costs
Summary
City staff told council Bowie won a federal COPS grant contingent on adding five officers; councilors questioned first-year costs (roughly $782,734 including equipment) but generally agreed to keep the positions and capture the $625,000 federal award (annualized revenue shown as $125,000), pending final technical corrections to the budget numbers.
Bowie city staff asked the City Council on Monday to include five police officer positions in the FY2027 budget to secure a COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) grant the city was awarded last fall. Staff said the first-year cost of adding the positions, including equipping officers, is about $782,734; finance staff presented the grant revenue as $625,000 total with $125,000 shown as an annualized amount in the proposed budget.
Acting city staff explained the grant requires adding five officers as a condition of funding. “We were awarded $625,000 provided that the city add five officers to the budget,” a staff presenter said, noting that the initial budget submission did not include the grant or the positions. Council members pressed for clarity on the numbers and asked whether equipment was included. The chief explained equipment runs roughly $100,000 per officer.
Council members framed the decision as a trade-off between tightening the city's budget and preserving eligibility for future Justice Department funding. “To not take advantage of it would put us in a very difficult position with the Justice Department,” the chief said, urging the council to accept the positions to keep grant relationships intact. Council member Wolfley said the positions support quality-of-life policing and the grant offsets some costs, and she expressed support for adding the officers.
Staff noted a technical formatting error in the initial spreadsheets that made some revenue items appear as cuts; staff confirmed the budget will be corrected so the $125,000 grant credit is reflected as revenue rather than a subtraction. The council signaled general support to leave the officers and associated grant revenue in the proposed budget; staff will correct the numbers and return final budget documents for adoption.
What happens next: Staff will fix the spreadsheet presentation of the grant revenue and finalize the FY2027 recommended budget for consideration. Council members signaled they want the officers included to preserve the city's standing with federal grant programs and to address staffing shortages in the police department.
