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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Mayor: Extra cops now on hold

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posted by Bob at Thursday, December 11, 2008

2 Comments:

Blogger Bob said...

Hiring is frozen, major cuts lie ahead as state weighs aid to cities

By Dave Orrick and Mara H. Gottfried
Pioneer Press
Updated: 12/10/2008 10:57:22 PM CST


At least 14 new police officers and one new firefighter planned for next year in St. Paul are on hold, thanks to the crummy economy and the state's financial woes, Mayor Chris Coleman said Wednesday.

In addition, Coleman is calling for a 20 percent spending reduction in all departments for 2009.

In a memo to city department heads, Coleman said uncertainty over future state aid to local governments has forced him to make "indefinite" a citywide hiring freeze, which includes planned city inspectors as well as cops and firefighters.

Police spokesman Peter Panos said the department is waiting to hear whether a 17-recruit police academy slated for January is still on.

Recruits already have been selected, Panos said. St. Paul Police Federation President Dave Titus said he understood candidates were being called Wednesday and told of the academy's indefinite status.

It is unclear if the freeze will last for long or if the 20 percent cuts will have to be implemented at all. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders have said they might reduce aid to cities and counties as the state faces down a projected $4.85 billion budget hole for the next two-year budget cycle, which begins July 1. How deep those cuts could run remains unclear.

Minneapolis enacted a hiring freeze earlier this month, as have a number of suburbs.

The timing of the financial squeeze creates extra tension for St. Paul and other cities on the verge of finalizing 2009 budgets. Unlike the
state's, their budget calendars run from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.
St. Paul's truth-in-taxation hearing — the public's last chance to comment on the city's 2009 property tax levy — is set for 6 p.m. today at Arlington Senior High School's Great Hall, 1495 Rice St. Next week, the City Council is expected to approve the 2009 budget, which is based largely on money raised through property tax revenue as well as fees and state aid.

"We're going to pass the budget, and then we'll tear it up," said Margaret Kelly, director of the city's Office of Financial Services.

That's pretty much what Coleman's memo portends. Expanding the ranks of cops and firefighters has been a centerpiece of the mayor's tenure, during which he has recommended closing recreation centers and raising taxes while leaving police and fire services intact.

But Coleman told department heads the economic reality dictates changing plans. While the memo never mentions the word "layoff," his request for 20 percent reductions might mean staffing cuts in the future.

"I wish I could say that we just need to get through the next fiscal year, but the reality is that we are already projecting a $13.5 million budget gap in 2010 before any LGA reductions," Coleman's memo states. "I firmly believe we need to take advantage of our budget challenges and rethink and restructure the services we deliver."

"The number of bad things that can happen in the city is so long I can't even think about it," City Council President Kathy Lantry said during a budget briefing Wednesday, where staffers discussed the potential loss of state aid.

Police spokesman Panos said he doesn't believe a hiring freeze will affect police services, but union president Titus said the city needs to set priorities.

"Clearly, spending $300,000 more on refrigerated ice rinks could maybe be evaluated or scrutinized a little more closely than not keeping our streets safe," Titus said.

The City Council voted 5-2 on Oct. 22 to transfer $300,000 from a parks and recreation supply and maintenance fund to the Refrigerated Ice Rinks Project. The bid for the three-rink project was $1.1 million, and the actual cost was $1.4 million, parks and rec spokesman Brad Meyer said.

The fire department didn't have an academy scheduled in coming months, said Chief Tim Butler. It still plans to offer a firefighter test next year, regardless of whether hires can be made, because the department can turn to the list later, he said.

On average, 16 St. Paul firefighters retire yearly, Butler said. There haven't been that many retirements this year, and the department is overstaffed by 14, he said.

Butler attributes the decline in retirements to the poor economy, interest in working during the Republican National Convention and general job satisfaction.

He said he doesn't expect the freeze to affect fire services, though he doesn't know whether planned initiatives, such as expanding the pilot "super medic" program, are still possible. That program, begun in Frogtown in January, added two firefighters to a four-member team so an ambulance and firetruck could respond to calls at the same time.

10:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All we need is good leadership, then we won't need more, more, and even more cops.

7:57 AM  

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