HUNTINGTON PARK : City Budgets for 5 More Police Officers
At a time when many cities are cutting staff and services to balance their budgets, the City Council last week approved a $39.8-million spending plan for fiscal 1994 that includes funding for five additional police officers.
The city instituted a 3% increase in utility fees last year to raise the $1.2 million designated for Police Department hires, said Don Jeffers, the city’s chief administrative officer.
The fee hike also allows the city’s general fund to absorb the salaries for eight other Police Department positions that had been paid for with asset seizure money, he said.
Although the city has cut its staff by about 25% since 1986, slashing about 50 positions, no further staff or service reductions will be necessary this year.
No growth in revenue is projected but the city’s economic condition is expected to stabilize in the coming year, Jeffers said. The city should finish the year with a surplus of about $151,000 and a reserve of about $2 million, he said.
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