2008 Woodie Awards
Council looks at public safety
Kelli Shaffner - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 12/11/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
The Iowa City city councilors on Monday addressed a request by Councilor Bob Elliott to consider ways to increase funding for the city's police and fire departments.
The council decided to adopt a new resolution before the end of the calendar year, placing it on the agenda for tonight's meeting.
Elliott asked for more money so the departments can hire additional firefighters and police officers, something the two groups have requested.
"I think over past four years, the fire chief and police chief have made recommendations and backed them up with statistics," Elliott said, noting that bolstering the departments would bring them up to par.
The councilors agreed that action needed to be taken, but there were disagreements among them on how to disburse money so that it was divvied up fairly.
Interim City Manager Dale Helling said the current budget for next year includes three more firefighters and two more police officers, but with Elliott's proposal, it would not be balanced because the revenues would be less than the expenditures for fiscal 2009.
Councilor Connie Champion said she would like to come up with an alternative measure of handling the issue, and Councilor Mike O'Donnell said it just comes down to reallocating money from another area of interest and moving it to public safety.
"We have to ask ourselves the question, 'What are we willing to cut?' " O'Donnell said. "What are we willing to do without so we can have this additional fire and police protection? Which I think we really need at this point in time."
O'Donnell said he has never before persuaded himself to touch the money on reserve, but it's now time.
"I think, Bob, this is a good idea," he said. "But I don't think that this is necessarily the way to do it. I think this is an increase in costs yearly."
O'Donnell thinks there are other ways to improve public safety, he said, but the city needs to make a commitment to take action on the issue.
Councilor Regenia Bailey also disagreed with Elliott's proposal but agreed with the sentiment.
Bailey, along with O'Donnell and Champion, wanted to take it off the agenda for tonight's formal meeting, but they failed to muster enough votes.
Champion said she plans on making a motion to withdraw it at tonight's meeting.
E-mail DI reporter Kelli Shaffner at:
kelli-shaffner@uiowa.edu
The council decided to adopt a new resolution before the end of the calendar year, placing it on the agenda for tonight's meeting.
Elliott asked for more money so the departments can hire additional firefighters and police officers, something the two groups have requested.
"I think over past four years, the fire chief and police chief have made recommendations and backed them up with statistics," Elliott said, noting that bolstering the departments would bring them up to par.
The councilors agreed that action needed to be taken, but there were disagreements among them on how to disburse money so that it was divvied up fairly.
Interim City Manager Dale Helling said the current budget for next year includes three more firefighters and two more police officers, but with Elliott's proposal, it would not be balanced because the revenues would be less than the expenditures for fiscal 2009.
Councilor Connie Champion said she would like to come up with an alternative measure of handling the issue, and Councilor Mike O'Donnell said it just comes down to reallocating money from another area of interest and moving it to public safety.
"We have to ask ourselves the question, 'What are we willing to cut?' " O'Donnell said. "What are we willing to do without so we can have this additional fire and police protection? Which I think we really need at this point in time."
O'Donnell said he has never before persuaded himself to touch the money on reserve, but it's now time.
"I think, Bob, this is a good idea," he said. "But I don't think that this is necessarily the way to do it. I think this is an increase in costs yearly."
O'Donnell thinks there are other ways to improve public safety, he said, but the city needs to make a commitment to take action on the issue.
Councilor Regenia Bailey also disagreed with Elliott's proposal but agreed with the sentiment.
Bailey, along with O'Donnell and Champion, wanted to take it off the agenda for tonight's formal meeting, but they failed to muster enough votes.
Champion said she plans on making a motion to withdraw it at tonight's meeting.
E-mail DI reporter Kelli Shaffner at:
kelli-shaffner@uiowa.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
stephen-radosevich
Wolfgang
posted 12/11/07 @ 10:26 AM CST
LOL....LOL....if there is ONE thing that Iowa City city councils are historically notorious for, it is ducking any & all hard decisions. Will we ever expect more from them?
Post a Comment