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To: Lino Lakes City Council From: Public Safety Citizens Commission Re: Proposed Public Safety Budget Adjustments . n f�lst bu- (P� 1AJ�k ssr 41(4,4) September 5, 2006 The proposed budget cuts for 2007 were presented at the PSCC meeting of 30 Aug 2006. As we understand it, the Tier "0" adjustment of $82,972 is money erroneously placed in the LLPD budget which was not caught in earlier reviews. Tire I -III adjustments are desired cuts to allow the council to reduce the tax load on the citizens of Lino Lakes. According to the information we have, the tax rate reduction is desired to be 1 %. Each 1% drop in this tax rate results in about $10 per $100,000 property value in real tax cuts to each homeowner. While it is admirable to reduce the tax burden on the citizens you serve, we find it problematic that 81.9% of Tier I "adjustments" or 43% of the total amount of $340,372 must come from the LLPD budget, which is about 29 -30% of the city's total budget to allow the citizens this ever so small tax break. This appears to be a disproportionate percent from the LLPD vs. other departments within the city. We have been doing a bit of research and have found the percent of total city budgets for the respective police departments of a few surrounding communities. They are as follows: For reference - • Lino Lakes — 2005 Cost = 40.3% • Lino Lakes — 2006 Budget = est 30% • Lino Lakes — 2007 Proposed Budget — 28% Other cities - • Blaine — 2006 Budget = 38% • Forest Lake — 2006 Budget = 50% • Shoreview - 2006 Budget = 11% (Contracted) • Andover — 2006 Budget = 18.3% (Contracted) An objective view shows the cost of the LLPD for Lino Lakes is extremely efficient for the city without these cuts. LLPD cost is the lowest of any Police Department researched except for those communities, which contract with other entities for their police service. We have one of the most effective and responsible police departments in the state, resulting in one of the lowest listed crime rates. The recently completed city survey indicated the citizens agree with and applaud how the LLPD is doing its job. As PSCC members we became involved with the LLPD when asked how the police can improve their service to the citizens despite the pressing and conflicting demands on their resources. The city is growing at a very fast rate with new homes and businesses. The safety of our citizens and business owners will continue to demand an expanding police presence. The demand on Chief Pecchia and the LLPD staff has grown with the community growth. The additions placed into the 2007 budget were to support this growth. We see this as a hindrance to all the LLPD has worked so hard to achieve with their many proactive programs to deter crime in our city. This does not happen by accident. It happens by careful planning and execution by people with the proper resources. Many PSCC members have been residents of Lino Lakes many years. Some of us remember when crime in the city was higher and the police department was not seen as the shining star it is today. Thanks to the efforts, planning, and execution of duties and programs by Chief Pecchia those days are past. Drug houses are discovered, targeted and eliminated on a regular basis. Stolen property is not heard about on the street anywhere near the frequency as in the past. By cutting the Public Safety budget simply to reduce our taxes by a few dollars a year does not make sense. The potential cost is not worth the extraordinary risk you are taking by continuing cuts in the public safety budgets. Thank you for your attention and your difficult work as leaders of our fine community. We are looking forward to seeing what action is taken in this matter. Citizens of Lino Lakes and members of the CC: �'Y Qofivre.44 0/Luft.. ,m,a,„.../