With notable exceptions, like Jeff Kropf, our state?s elected officials have failed miserably in budgeting, specifically in prioritizing spending.
But we?ve got our own problem right here in Sweet Home. If the state?s spending habits are a mote in our eye, perhaps Sweet Home?s might be a splinter, yet the principals remain.
I noted the incongruity as I delivered papers to local stores last Tuesday evening.
On a local level, I haven?t heard anyone talking about this problem with prioritization.
The Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a skate park last week, the appropriate decision from a land use perspective.
On our front page, we had that story and we also had a story about how the Sweet Home Police Department will be unable to fill a police officer position because total property values in Sweet Home went down last year.
At the same time, the city will spend some $30,000 on the skate park then another $20,000 to help keep the swimming pool open because School District 55 can?t afford it.
(An additional $25,000 has been set aside for the park, including $10,000 raised by the Kiwanis Club and nearly $15,000 donated to the city for the project.)
A police officer costs approximately $60,000 per year. With approximately five months left in the fiscal year, a replacement officer would cost roughly $25,000.
Law enforcement is arguably the most legitimate function of a government agency, and it makes sense to focus on safety first.
While the justification for publicly funding entertainment features for specific groups in the community can be disputed, I doubt anyone would seriously place toys before public safety.
Instead, the City of Sweet Home has reduced its staff by one police officer this year and the city is planning to buy toys. It also did not replace a car this year, leaving only two of six patrol cars with under 100,000 miles. Those two have 76,000 and 21,000 miles. At the same time, gas costs are up.
The city is hesitant at all times to fund either police or library services out of its general fund, whether this is for simplification of book work or a gun to voters? heads at levy elections is irrelevant. The city should be willing to provide funding from its general fund for such a critical function as law enforcement. Indeed, law enforcement is a mandatory function for cities under state law.
SHPD had its highest call volume ever last year. This year, they will likely face similar numbers with one less police officer.
The City Council should abandon plans to fund a skate park this year and turn down requests in the near future to fund the pool.
The savings from delaying the skate park should be used to fund the vacant police officer position this year.
Next year, the budget committe and council should make an effort in the upcoming budget cycle to see that position remains funded, even if it means moving some cash from the general fund.
The council could come back to the skate park and pool ideas when it can fully fund critical, mandatory services.
In the meantime, fund-raising efforts could continue, further reducing the taxpayer?s share of the project.
The donations received so far, $25,000, are proof that Sweet Home is full of kind-hearted, giving people. It also shows that the project can draw enough support to avoid tapping tax dollars anyway.