Long Beach : Mayor Says Budget to Allow Hiring of 60 More Officers
Mayor Ernie Kell says he is hopeful that Long Beach will be able to hire 60 more police officers for the 1993-94 fiscal year.
Kell said earlier this week that it appeared Long Beach will have enough money for the officers because the city probably will have to pay $3.5 million less per year for its employee retirement program. City Manager James C. Hankla was still ironing out the details with officials from the state Public Employee Retirement System, which provides retirement benefits for Long Beach employees.
The mayor initially proposed adding only 10 new officers because, he said, the city simply did not have enough money to hire more. After the preliminary budget was released, community leaders called for 300 new officers. The city has about 730 officers.
The City Council will decide how many officers will be hired when it approves the 1993-94 budget, which takes effect July 1.
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