 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
City Council discusses contracting police force
By MATTHEW WAITE, Times Staff Writer PORT RICHEY -- A majority of the Port Richey City Council said Tuesday night that the city should get rid of its own Police Department and contract with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Dale Massad, Pat Guttman and Phyllis Grae all said the city was facing dire economic problems, and the way out was ending their Police Department. "This is very difficult," Guttman, the vice mayor, said. "We have no choice." Just weeks after the idea was raised, the City Council seemed poised to do away with the department. Members were still talking about it late Tuesday night. More than 80 people packed into City Hall to hear, including most of the 14-member Port Richey Police Department and their union representatives. The three council members said they based their decisions on economic problems in the city. This year's budget started with a $200,000 shortfall, and getting it balanced had sparked tension between the council and the city manager. Last week, Port Richey's financial adviser, Lou Clini, said the city's fiscal health is so bad that the City Council should establish a line of credit to ensure bills are paid and get rid of the Police Department. However, City Manager Vince Lupo said the situation wasn't so bad, with budget cuts, a land sale and a proposed rate increase to balance budgets. Tuesday's meeting was the first where the idea was debated in public. And it was the continuation of a running battle between Grae and police Chief William Downs. On Thursday, Grae peppered Downs with questions about spending in his department, particularly overtime pay. On Tuesday, they were back at it again. "'You can't keep writing checks hoping that the city has this cash cow buried somewhere," Grae said to Downs. Downs told Grae that her numbers were wrong, that overtime was covered by vacancies in other salary budget lines. "'With all due respect, my budget is at 81 percent," Downs said. "I am not over budget." The idea of disbanding the Police Department and contracting with the Sheriff's Office came from a group of citizens who brought the idea to the council in a pile of three ring binders earlier this month. The group claimed the city could save $700,000 a year by contracting with the Sheriff's Office. The Police Department's annual budget is nearly $1.2-million. Clini met with sheriff's officials and found that a contract would cost $507,000, validating the group's savings number. Sheriff Bob White said Monday that the $507,000 preliminary number isn't set in a contract. If the city was to contract with the Sheriff's Office, a lot of details would have to be worked out: how many officers from the city would get hired, who would retire, what to do with the city's police equipment. "'We don't know enough yet," White said Monday. "We don't know what they want." Lupo said he met with White on Tuesday morning. He said the preliminary number of $507,000 was subject to negotiations and "There were, however, provisos." "They are not in the business of closing park gates," Lupo said. Defenders of the Police Department have said the city will lose personalized services like park closing and open door checks. Others defended the Police Department Tuesday night. Several people told the council that they liked the personal service and didn't mind paying for it. One, Frank Stedder, said there would be political repercussions for ending the department. "Don't forget, the City Council goes with it," he said. Sidney Freedman, who was part of the group that brought the issue to the council, said the city has to be accountable for spending taxpayer money. "This isn't personal," he said. "This is about finance." -- Matthew Waite can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6247, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6247. His e-mail address is waite@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times Letters |
