o Feb. 22: Council members will attend a retreat to go over the budget.
o March 15: Public hearing on the 2010 spring budget adjustment.
o Spring/summer: Budget forecast for 2011-2016 will become available; public outreach to get input on where future cuts should come; council will hold further retreats to discuss policy.
The city’s ailing budget may jeopardize a $2.58 million federal grant that pays for 10 Vancouver police officer positions, Police Chief Cliff Cook told the city council Monday.
The Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, grant was awarded to Vancouver in July and provides salary and benefits for 10 officers for three years. Its only stipulation is that Vancouver must retain the positions for at least one year after the federal money runs out.
And that, Cook said, could be a problem. If the city cannot pay the officers, they will have to pay back the grant. So as of now, the chief said he’s hired just two new officers under the grant.
“It’s too great a risk to take,” he said.
The revelation came as part of a larger workshop on the city’s budget Monday afternoon, where city staff members outlined the cuts that have been made and made a few projections on what may come.
Vancouver is plagued by a structural deficit problem, where the city’s revenues are lagging ever farther behind costs, budget and planning manager Natasha Ramras said. The recession has made the problem worse.
Last week, the city laid off 44 positions, eliminated 22 vacant jobs and will offer retirement incentives to up to 30 employees, part of what City Manager Pat McDonnell called an “immediate” need to fill a $6 million hole in the city’s $131 million general fund.
With preliminary estimated shortfalls of $10 million to $12 million in both 2011 and 2012, hard decisions will have to be made by the council, McDonnell said.
“We believe we need to be redirected policy-wise,” to prioritize where the further reductions will come in the future, he said.
Last week’s layoffs included civilian staff in both the police and fire departments, which have traditionally been more insulated during past cuts. About 53 percent of the general fund goes toward public safety.
The loss will have an impact on public services: Citizens reporting low-level crimes in person or over the phone may face significant wait times. Police headquarters and the East Precinct may also close for public walk-in service.
With less support from civilian staff, “I’m afraid that we’re going to have officers filling out reports,” said new council member Bart Hansen, who was sworn in during Monday’s meeting.
Cook agreed: “It’s really discouraging to see the progress this department has made … deteriorating to the point where we’re doing nothing more than being reactive, instead of proactive.”
The department has asked about changing the COPS grant to allow using the money to prevent future layoffs, but that the “response has not been positive.”
Councilor Jeanne Harris pointed out that returning the grant could affect whether Vancouver is chosen for other major federal grants in the future.
Mayor Tim Leavitt said the COPS grant will be added to the list of topics the seven councilors will tackle at a Feb. 22 budget retreat.
“Council has to have a discussion at the retreat whether or not we want to take that risk,” he said.
