CLEARLAKE >> Money from unexpected revenues and decreased spending by the Clearlake Police Department (CPD) will help pay for new and updated equipment.
During a mid-year budget review presented to the Clearlake City Council during their most recent meeting, Clearlake Finance Director Chris Becnel explained where the extra money came from and how to best spend it. The council approved each item unanimously.
The original total anticipated spending for the CPD was $3.4 million this fiscal year, according to Becnel. However, because of staff turnovers and unfilled positions, the department has not used all of those funds. A total of $168,000 in savings is the result of the decreased spending.
The department would have to spend $317,000 a month for the rest of the year in order to use all of allocated budget, Becnel added. Typically, the city would spend $290,000 a month for police services to use up its budget.
Craig Clausen, CPD chief, outlined the need for new vehicles and computers, as well as recruit training.
Replacement computers and laptops will use $38,000, while the purchase of two new police vehicles will account for $82,000. The remaining money will be used for training and recruitment, totaling $48,000.
“Some of our police vehicles are on their last leg,” Becnel said.
Of the department’s 15 marked police vehicles currently in use, five have more than 100,000 miles, two of which have broken dashes, meaning their odometers no longer work, according to Clausen. The remainder of the cars’ mileage counts have exceeded 60,000.
Additionally, all unmarked police car also have high mileage.
The last time vehicles were purchased for the CPD was in 2008, Clausen added.
Once a major repair is needed to a vehicle, it is used for parts.
“When you are talking $3,000 to $5,000 to replace a transmission, it is not cost effective to replace that,” Clausen explained.
As for recruitment, a contract agreement is being drafted that will require recruits who are sent to police academy to stay employed by the city for a specified amount of time. The city will pay fees for attending the academy, but if the recruit leaves their position before the agreed upon time, they will be obligated to repay the city all costs.
“The idea is that if we recruit and send a cadet down to the police academy and pay for their training, they are more likely to come back here than somewhere else,” Becnel said.
Furthermore, $10,000 will be used for training that is not a part of the Peace Officer Standards in Training (POST) program. Non-POST training is not reimbursed by the state, Becnel explained.
The council unanimously approved all budget items with a 5-0 vote.
