LAKEPORT >> Support for the Lakeport Police Department was the top priority of the city’s recently-approved budget, but it required sacrificing future improvements to the streets they protect.
The budget, which was unanimously passed by the city council on Tuesday, allocated a little more than $2 million to the department so it can hire its 12th officer and a school resource officer. Including increased wages, Finance director Dan Buffalo said the increased funding — $157,000 more than last year — should also help its problems with recruitment and retention.
“We’re trying to fully staff the police department and put them in a position to recruit successfully,” Buffalo said. “Public safety was at a crisis situation.”
Combined with flat revenue growth, the move also led to nearly $460,000 in funding cuts for the city’s roads — many of which are in bad shape and in dire need of repair.
This means that services will be limited to emergencies, critical road repair and supporting utility infrastructure in the city’s right of ways.
“They already weren’t seeing a whole lot on roads because we didn’t have the resources to do what we hope to do,” Buffalo said. “They’re going to see less now because we really put a lot of emphasis on public safety this year and beefing up those services.”
Some of the gap will be filled by the city’s gas tax funds, city manager Margaret Silveira added, but it will not be enough, forcing the city to look for other income sources because local and state revenues are projected to remain flat in the next few years.
“Ongoing revenues are simply not keeping pace with current costs and prohibit the general fund from maintaining both heightened public safety and general Public Works expenditures beyond the 2016-17 year,” Silveira wrote in the published budget report, adding that the strategy may remain consistent in the new strategy.
One of the main ways to bump up is a sales tax increase, which the city council approved an accountability study for back in April.
Councilman Kenneth Parlet recognized that the city is supporting one of the top two issues amongst residents while cutting the other, calling the decision “dangerous.” However, it does stress the need for a tax measure.
“It’s almost like we’re compelling them to vote for this sales tax,” he said. “I hope they understand the kind of sacrifices we have to make to move forward on public safety.”
No public comments were made during the meeting.
