City of Lincoln set to approve $22 million 2019-20 budget
Part three: Police Chief Paul Adams discusses needs of the department

 

[April 10, 2019] 

LINCOLN 

On Monday, March 25th the Lincoln City Council met for a budget workshop led by City Treasurer Chuck Conzo. Conzo along with department heads and City Administrator Beth Kavelman had prepared a draft of the budget for the new fiscal year that will begin May 1st.

Aldermen along with the department heads and Conzo reviewed the draft and made necessary changes. The second draft was then presented to the council on Monday April 1st after the council’s regular meeting.

On March 25th, Police Chief Paul Adams led the presentation of the police department budget for the new fiscal year.

The first draft of the police budget totaled $2,167,239. After some changes the final draft came in at $2,140,231. The new total is significantly higher than the 2018-19 budget of $2,042,749 with the majority of the change being in wages.

Adams first addressed some of the smaller expenses, noting that most would be holding at the same level. He noted that the budgeted amount for vehicle repairs and maintenance should be slightly lower than projected as the city continues to work on replacing the ageing squads. He noted that this is the year to purchase more new vehicles, but the amount of the payments for the new vehicle will come out of another category.

Adams did ask for the investigations line item to be doubled from $1,000 to $2,000. He said that the reason for the increase is to purchase more drug tests. He said that the kits are being used a lot so the investigators need more of those supplies.

Adams had noted that the line item for contractual services had been reduced by about $6,000. He said that was because last year the telephone services for the department had been included in that line item. The money was taken from contractual services, but aldermen would also note that the telephone line item had increased.

Steve Parrott asked about this, noting that the contractual services had been reduced by $6,000 but the telephone line item had increased by $9,000.

Adams said that was because of the new department with more phones. He said another hefty expense was the cost of the designated rollover lines from the police station to the safety complex. He said that service was very costly and he needs to work to find a better solution.

Earlier in the evening when reviewing the budget for school crossing guards, Tracy Welch had asked for the council to consider adding crossing guards in the area of Lincoln Junior High School and Central School. The city currently provides crossing guards at two busy intersections in town. Welch said he had observed the traffic situation at the junior high and felt that there were safety issues for the children that crossing guards might be able to remedy.

At that time, Adams asked the council to hold off on any changes to that line item because he had a different solution that would come up in his budget.

During the police department presentation, Adams expanded on those plans.

The Lincoln Community High School for the past few years has been in a partnership with the city to provide a School Resource Officer. That position is filled by Lincoln Police Officer Tim Butterfield. The high school pays half of Butterfield's wages and the city pays the other half.

Adams said that District 27 would like to add a SRO at the junior high school. Adams said that the increase showing in the salaries reflect the hiring of an additional police officer.

Adams said that the original agreement with the high school had been that the school would pay half of the value of a first-year officer. This year, Adams has had discussions with LCHS Superintendent Robert Bagby who has said the school is willing to pay half the actual cost of the officer. Adams said this would reduce the salary's monthly expense by a bit.

In addition, he has been speaking with District 27, and they are willing to also pay half the actual cost of an officer in order to have an SRO at the junior high school. That would equate to one new hire, and an increase of approximately $35,000 for the city’s share of that new hire.

In total the salaries monthly line item will be $1,673,949 versus $1,559,600 in the old year, a difference of $114,349. With $35,000 of that being half a new hire, the balance of $79,349 will be for wage increases according to collective bargaining.

To counter balance the added expense of the SRO officer, Adams noted that the original plan to hire two clerical staff for the new department was not needed. He said his clerical staff on hand now is working out very well and he does not believe another person will be needed. Therefore, in the draft budget the amount for clerical staff was $90,610. In the final draft presented on April 1st that amount was reduced to $69,402.

Adams said he felt the SRO position was more important than adding another clerical staff, and that the SRO could also be the answer for the traffic and safety issues at the school.

Welch said he wasn’t sure that the SRO would resolve the issue with needing a crossing guard. Adams said he thought it would help. He noted that some of the issues around the school is that double parked vehicles blocking traffic flow. He said a crossing guard does not have a lot of influence with that kind of problem, whereas a police officer would.

Welch would later rotate back to the crossing guard line and ask that it be increased anyway. There was $5,000 in the original draft and that amount pays for two crossing guards. Welch asked for enough money to pay a third guard. Conzo noted that the actual expense in that line is less than the $5,000 budgeted. So, he believed instead of adding $2,500 for a third person, the city could probably get by with increasing that line by one $1,000. In the final draft that amount was then changed from $5,000 to $6,000.

Coverage of the budget discussions will continue on Thursday as aldermen broach the special challenges presented in the Building and Grounds budget.

[Nila Smith]