Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

$80 million budget hike requested by LV police

Click on the image for an enlargement. Graphic by Mike Johnson.

Citing steady population growth in the Las Vegas Valley and new homeland security responsibilities, Metropolitan Police Department administrators seek a budget increase of more than $80 million next fiscal year.

The 25 percent increase would raise the department's annual budget to $400.5 million, and boost the cost of policing Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County to more than $1 million per day.

Undersheriff Doug Gil- lespie presented the 2003-04 budget request Monday to the Metropolitan Police Committee on Fiscal Affairs.

"We realize with the economic times in the state, 25 percent is pretty substantial," Gillespie said. "We are prepared to go before the public."

The Police Department already has submitted a bill draft request asking state lawmakers for permission to place a tax increase initiative on the 2004 general election ballot, Gillespie said.

Las Vegas and Clark County share funding responsibilities for the Police Department. Representatives of each entity indicated Monday they likely will not be able to fulfill the department's request. The Fiscal Affairs Committee will consider the budget proposal March 24. The Las Vegas City Council and Clark County Commission then will vote on the panel's recommendation.

"I don't see in my own mind how we cannot have a ballot question in the mix," said Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald, a Fiscal Affairs Committee member. "Otherwise we'll see some significant slashing."

The funding increase would allow the Police Department to hire 389 additional commissioned officers, 254 civilian staff members, 30 emergency dispatchers and eight nonemergency dispatchers.

Police need to bolster their crew of 2,000 commissioned officers to meet the department's goal of providing two officers per 1,000 residents, Gillespie said. The department currently provides 1.7 officers per 1,000 residents.

"I would attribute this to the growth of the valley, but we've also been asked to use personnel in situations that we didn't have prior to 9-11," Gillespie said.

The Police Department assigned 10 officers to McCarran International Airport immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Gillespie said the department needs to ship 14 additional officers to the airport to strengthen security.

If the budget proposal is approved, the city would pay an additional $30 million, the county would pay about $40 million more and a police contract with the airport would be upped by $1.5 million.

"As it stands today, there is no way we can even fill their request," said Mark Vincent, city finance director. "We would have to cut our own programs or the City Council would have to elect to raise property taxes, which I don't think they'd be willing to do."

Clark County's general fund budget was burdened this fiscal year, which ends June 30, by construction overruns at its Regional Justice Center and a growing deficit at University Medical Center.

Next fiscal year, the county's general fund likely will absorb the public hospital's deficit, which is projected to hover around $14 million, according to Finance Director George Stevens. And while the cost of building the justice center is covered, a legal battle between the contractor and the county looms.

"Budgeting is a priority-setting exercise," Stevens said. "If this is deemed to be a higher priority than other county functions, we'd have to cut other budgets."

County Commissioner Rory Reid emphasized the importance of funding public safety, especially because of Sept. 11. Local governments, he said, have more responsibility to provide adequate police protection than state or federal agencies.

"The state's primary responsibility is education. Ours is public safety," Reid said. "We have to recognize we have a duty, and we can't shirk it.

"However, I'm concerned that we'll be able to do what Metro is asking us to do given our current fiscal condition. I think what they want to do is worthy of praise, but my job is to ask the tough question about whether we can afford it," Reid said.

Reid recommended the committee explore Boggs-McDonald's suggestion that the city and county increase the Police Department's budget but also approach voters.

Voters have approved property tax increases for additional officers twice in the past 15 years. Gillespie said the 650 officers afforded because of the two initiatives are on the job.