A $30 million request for more firefighters and police officers in Charlotte is forcing city leaders to look at several ways to pay for it, including higher property taxes.
The request is for $11.8 million for fire to add 82 positions, including firefighters for another engine in east Charlotte, and $19 million for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to hire 125 more officers and 80 staff positions.
On Monday, a council budget committee looked over four options: cutting about 6 percent from department budgets, a freeze on pay raises for city employees, moving money set aside for capital projects and a 2.7 percent property tax increase, which translates to the owner of a median-price home worth $141,100 paying $18.62 more a year.
“We're trying to do it without raising taxes. That's another priority for us, but we want to see what it would look like," said Councilman Greg Phipps, who chairs City Council's budget committee.
City Council has not settled on which avenue it will take as the budget process continues. A budget is expected to be approved in June.
The request is for $11.8 million for fire to add 82 positions, including firefighters for another engine in east Charlotte, and $19 million for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to hire 125 more officers and 80 staff positions.
On Monday, a council budget committee looked over four options: cutting about 6 percent from department budgets, a freeze on pay raises for city employees, moving money set aside for capital projects and a 2.7 percent property tax increase, which translates to the owner of a median-price home worth $141,100 paying $18.62 more a year.
“We're trying to do it without raising taxes. That's another priority for us, but we want to see what it would look like," said Councilman Greg Phipps, who chairs City Council's budget committee.
City Council has not settled on which avenue it will take as the budget process continues. A budget is expected to be approved in June.
Cedar's Take: living n a "blue" city in a "red" state has its draw backs, like having a tax and spend meantality in a state that sees things from a consertitive perspective, Which means we're on our own when it comes to most revenue.
The red state way of thinking is counter to Charlotte's budget process. Charlotte has become a bug light for low income, limited education minorities. The cycle is pretty simple social programs attract less fortunate, which brings crime which brings higher public safety costs.
Charlotte City Council "Potted Plants" always geared up to give away tax dollars to attract outside business, but can't keep the ones that are already here.
Those elected to guide the city have such a lack of vision it is startling. Just drive along South Blvd and witness the explosion of high end apartments and condos. The over supply is stunning and the cycle of ever lower rents followed by lower quality tenants will be dramatic. The by product is crime and more requests for department funding and more boots on the ground.
Doubt it? 20 years ago Steel Creek was the up and coming growth area of Chalotte. Grand plans that focused on higher density and apartment living. Now Steel Creek is gaining on East Charlotte in crime stats, a cluster of crime notably property crimes and murders. As the demographic quality declines, crime increases dramatically. Followed by apartment over supply and lower still rents and more economically challenged citizens.
15 comments:
Here's the thing, Charlotte DOES NOT need any more cops. What they need is just the good cops. You could actually get rid of about 300 of them that are dead weight to begin with. When 25-30 percent of every specialized unit is filled with unqualified dead weight, when you can stop by any office, any time of the day and see officers just hanging around, you can stand to get rid of a few. Rising crime doesn't have anything to do with the number of officers on the street. You have a chief telling his officers not to stop people for equipment violations or other assorted crimes, you have a demoralized force due to incompetency at the top, certain members of command staff being told not to support their officers or they will be retaliated against, officers being suspended from specialized units after being cleared by an IA board because some deputy chief just says so, reactivating a sergeants process so that one particular unqualified individual can be promoted, a criminal justice system (state and federal) exercising "smart on crime" to assure certain segments of the population are not prosecuted and you know what will happen? Higher crime!! How about this, pay the cops you got now, restructure the department from top to bottom and institute some new performance policies? Add a one cent public safety sales tax for the county so all of those here help to pay for it. Write it so that it can never be funneled off for some feel good project and be done with it. How do you feel about that chief choice now Claire?
Charlotte sux ass.
Sounds like the promotional processes in the whole city depend on who and not what. Hopefully council will filter and understand the difference between need and empire building but they sure have built some really big fire stations for four people to stay in so it is doubtful.
We need more Shot Spotters, and need to put these on every corner. The crime rate plummeted when these inexpensive devices were used. Seems like the politicians don't care about the ordinary folks, and keep taking these crime fighting tools away from us.
Oh, and we need more ankle bracelets for accused murderers.
I agree with the first post. Half my academy class was not qualified to be police. I have moved on from CMPD, but these leaches still work with the organization. They all complain about their pay...and I look at them and think "You're lucky you have a job, period."
Its a tough enough job, and in a city with opportunity (healthcare, finance, IT)...its hard to keep decent talent. I quit being frustrated and jumped ship, and moved out of county.
How about a female promoted to Sergeant recently. Her qualifications ??? 8 months on the mean streets of South Division before being ushered off to the academy as a recruiter. Now a supervisor telling Officers what to do. You want me to respect that? Where you come from? Incompetent.
Charlotte is a hilarious place to work.
Hey Cedar. Do you know where someone could get some block work done cheap?
My ass itches.
Anon: April 13 @ 10:48. Names please? Plus it all boils down to who you know and will blow to get promoted. Plus city council according to the local news declined RACIST Putney's ass for more cops. Anon: April 12 @ 9:45 hit the nail right on the head. Disband the so called specialized units which are a freaking joke. Plus get rid of the dead weight duck assess in these so called specialized units. Make them do some real policing and you won't need extra cops. Piss Poor Planning from the higher ups in command staff.
First comment above is entirely accurate. Nevermind the fact that while Charlotte continues to grow in size and other City Departments (aka NOT police & fire) do not.
Transportation, back in the 70s and 80s had about 40 men total working on the operational side: signs, signals, markings. That number today? About 50. Yet, the number of street miles and intersections has more than doubled.
Check it out for yourself on the 15th floor. Budget annuals used to consider Public Safety as "Police, Fire, Transportation Operations" in days gone by. Nowadays? Not so much.
Let all the intersections in CLT malfunction ONE TIME during peak rush hours and see if that gets someone's attention in Council Chambers. Let some stop signs go missing or un-replaced; that's Public Safety. Not that Police & Fire aren't important, though they aren't the only City workers who make the world go 'round.
I couldn't agree more. The Ballyntine Area pays a high rate on taxes and I see we are going to add fire trucks and stations in areas that have had fire protection for years. I would agree with the NorthLake Ladder Truck because of the growth but the Eastland Mall second Engine? The city just took the second engine out of the Plaza Midwood Station a couple years ago. I doubt seriously a lot has changed. The additional fire stations requested are interesting as well. Clanton Park, Colony Road? There was a fire station on East Blvd at Freedom Park that the city sold that is a parking lot now. My wife's cousin, who was a firefighter, tells me there was a ladder truck at the stations on Remount, Inwood Dr, Laurel AV, and the City moved them away from the areas that answered Colony and Clanton Park. There was also a Ladder Truck at the station off Shamrock that was moved. Sounds like to me the old Chiefs knew better about future growth. This new guy is about raise some taxes and not give equal service to anyone. If Station 32 is out my house will burn to the ground before somebody else gets here and we are gonna pay for some more trucks on central avenue. What a joke. I would rather pay for traffic people or transportation to get more. They will be efficient with more people. More firefighters means two thirds are off duty.
It sure looks like the new Pokice Chief is in good favor with Council. Trying to find additional funding for even more officers. FD asks for four fire trucks worth of firefighters and gets one. He may still be in office but his gold had tarnished. Hopefully Council is listening to the scuttle butt from the higher ups finally on his replacement. Finally. They know what needs to happen and who can repair it and his name is starting to surface where it needs to now. Thank goodness.
City Council is gonna have to raise property taxes to secure attorneys for all those being deposed in the Eshert Case. The list is long and full of classic names. It will great to see the return of so many great people from CFD history and the City Of Charlotte. The ones that Hannan has no control over any longer will be the best or the ones he never did and with all the people he has messed with over this thing. If they will just tell the truth a little bit what a show. Members from Randolph AFB, Elizabeth City Staffers, State Legislature Members, it will be the whose who. And what about Shah Khan being eliminated ? Another one bites the dust.
City Council didn't raise taxes and they have even found a way to send Charlotte Fire personnel to assist in looking for the Condederate States of America Blockade Runner The Agnes E. Frye, what a wonderful use of Charlotte tax dollars, personnel and equipment. Maybe they took down the flag in Columbia so you can fly it in Charlotte, I mean you were the home of the CSA Naval Ordinance Yard. Wonder who approved that assignment.
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