Modesto Mayor’s proposal calls for big police, fire hits

[Ken Carlson, May. 15, 2010]
Modesto may be forced to shed 60 positions to close a $12.7 million general fund shortfall. Public safety will take the brunt of the cuts, with police losing 35 positions and the Fire Department losing 10. The Police Department will shed 13 sworn officers and a dozen community services officers, more than a third of the nonsworn officers who respond to burglaries, stolen vehicle reports and vandalism.
The budget again calls for nonunion employees to take a 5 percent salary cut in the form of furlough days. “Our organization is trying to work with the city to resolve these budget issues,” said Tony Arguelles, president of the MPOA. “If you have this many layoffs, there is no doubt it would have an impact on the department and the citizens of Modesto.” Under the budget plan, the department would lose eight police officers, two detectives, two sergeants and a lieutenant. Six of the 35 threatened police positions are vacant. When the number of officers is cut, the department commits available staff to respond to major incidents such as robberies and violent crimes, Arguelles said. But it loses the ability to have fully staffed gang, narcotics and auto theft units. Councilman Garrad Marsh, a Finance Committee member, said that with the revenue declines, the city has no choice but to reduce public safety costs.

Safety officers aren’t just being down-sized, they are at risk for being closed down.

City governments rethink how, or if, services provided

Laid-off police officers, unmowed parks, closed libraries. Those are the visible reminders of government’s new, stripped-down reality. Some say there’s no end in sight. While the private sector talks about glimmers of recovery, the conversation at city halls and county buildings across the Northern San Joaquin Valley isn’t about when things will improve. It’s about how government has to redefine itself.
Leaders aren’t wondering how to provide services, they’re wondering if they should provide them at all. Some say public agencies must learn to make do under a state of “permanent fiscal stress.” The discussion for local governments has shifted from “creative budgeting” to “service redesign.”

Here’s a look at what the public can expect more of as cities re-imagine their roles.

 

  • Sharing with other cities. Need police? Ask the city next door. Lathrop, contracts with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department for its police services. For small cities such as Oakdale, consolidation will be essential to long-term survival.
  • Contracting. In Chicago, it’s parking meters. In Modesto, it’s park maintenance. This  relieves cities of a significant burden: employee benefits and retirement costs.
  • Residents paying for services. Receive medical care from a Tracy firefighter? Get ready to write a $300 check. Charging people for city services as they use them is a growing trend.
  • Taxes. Modesto could pay for a police and fire force to match the city’s population growth if it charged every homeowner a $500 yearly tax. Could you imagine a scenario where people would be willing to pay that fee?

Would a city-wide surveillance network help? After all, let’s not just take back one night, but all of them.

SAFETY and PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT