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Committee reviews police department renovation funding, bodycams and radio upgrades
Summary
Council discussion centered on using a mix of TIF and public-safety LIT reserves for a police building remodel and equipment upgrades; redevelopment was asked to commit $1,000,000 from TIF and staff flagged a $1.25M placeholder for the remodel.
A committee member told colleagues redevelopment has been asked to commit $1,000,000 in TIF toward the police department renovation and said the city intends to pay cash for a large portion of the project. "We're gonna be we're gonna pay cash," the committee member said when describing the plan to fund the Wells Fargo building renovation for the police department.
Eric, the presenter, showed a $1.25 million placeholder in the public-safety capital line for the department remodel and noted public-safety LIT currently brings in about $1,000,000 annually. He cautioned that if legislation does not change in 2029 that fund will be consolidated into municipal LIT and that staff should plan how to move police line items into the general fund then.
Equipment and grants: committee and chiefs discussed encrypted radio replacements and Axon body cameras. The fire chief and police representatives said the department has applied for grants in prior years but has been unsuccessful and will need to budget for replacements; one chief said a refurbished tender's price was close to a new unit and costs are higher across equipment and protective gear.
Budget implications: Eric flagged a $1.2 million negative cash-flow line in the public-safety fund driven by the building placeholder but noted the fund holds over $3 million now and recommended spending down for restricted uses. He and staff asked the council to authorize spending authority and to coordinate grant accounting so incoming grant revenue can be shown as a revenue and corresponding expense.
Next steps: the committee asked staff to reconcile grant numbers, send updated equipment cost estimates and insurance figures, and to include the police remodel and equipment costs in the August follow-up for final budget adjustments.
