Minutes - 2009/04/13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mounds View City Council April 13, 2009 Regular Meeting Page 7 Council Member Stigney noted the Mounds View Police Department is not understaffed and it is too late to apply this grant to the position for the officer who is retiring. He stated he felt this grant was for cities that are short staffed due to funding, and since it would create a new position in Mounds View, he does not support making application for the grant. Council Member Mueller stated her support for the grant application because two to three officers are expected to retire in the next four years and creative scheduling has been needed to meet the needs of the community when officers are out due to injuries or testifying in court. The grant funding will allow Mounds View to start an officer at Step One with three of the four years paid by the grant including Step increases and benefits. Council Member Mueller suggested that an additional officer may have been requested had it not been for the City's tight budget. Council Member Stigney asked Council Member Mueller whether she favors adding an additional officer over and above the current 19 sworn officers, creating a staff of 20. Council Member Mueller responded that the grant gives the City the opportunity to have an officer trained and ready to fill the gap when someone leaves through attrition or retiring. She noted that the number of burglaries, transients, and other issues have increased and the safety of Mounds View is important so this is the right thing to do. She stated that a decision may be made by a future Council to increase the workforce to 20 and the grant will allow three years to be paid. Council Member Stigney offered a friendly amendment that after stabilizing the police force, it will be reduced to 19 officers. Council Member Mueller did not accept the friendly amendment. Mayor Flaherty questioned the intent of the grant program and asked whether the intent was for communities that had to lay off an officer or cut back hours due to budget restraints. Police Chief Sommer stated the grant intent atwo-fold. One intent is to backfill positions vacated that were not filled because of budgets and the other intent is to fund additional police over and above the current level to put additional police on the street to deal with crime, which is a priority of the federal government. Finance Director Beer stated they do not know how the grant will be scored and noted that one question asks whether the city is laying off or not hiring officers. Because the City would not meet that criteria, the grant may not be awarded to Mounds View. Council Member Gunn stated her support for making grant application, noting the survey indicated residents feel there is a need for extra police patrolling. Mayor Flaherty noted the City would have to budget the salary in the fourth year, which would have to come from taxes. He stated he would not want to encumber the action of a future Council. Council Member Stigney stated it would encumber a future Council because an officer would have to be laid off.