Budget Contingency Plan Would Result in Police Service Cuts

City leaders have put a budget-cutting contingency plan in place that would eliminate five law-enforcement positions to compensate for expected revenue losses from Proposition 218.

The plan was prompted by the June 3 defeat of Measure B, a public safety services fee that would have raised about $2.9 million for police and fire services.

Councilman David John Shawver, who campaigned door-to-door for the defeated ballot measure, said he warned of the consequences for law enforcement in the city if the fee of $16.88 a month from each residence failed to win approval.

“When the roof falls in, no one is ever going to come back to me and say, ‘Why didn’t you tell me this was going to happen?’ ” Shawver said.

A custodian and secretary already have been laid off since the measure was defeated, saving the city $35,000 for fiscal 1997-98.

But Proposition 218, a statewide ballot issue approved in November that requires two-thirds voter approval for most local taxes and fees, threatens to eliminate $487,000 in city lighting and landscape fees.

That loss would be covered by the contingency plan, which calls for the elimination of a deputy, a criminal investigator, a narcotics investigator, a community services officer and a clerical position from the city’s county-provided police services.

The contingency plan was approved by council members Tuesday as part of the city’s $9.9-million operations budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

“We’re concerned about public safety and our level of police services,” Councilman Al Ethans said.

“We’re also looking at eliminating some of the maintenance of our parks and dropping that sort of thing to the bare minimum.”