The Cheney City Council’s public hearing Nov. 8 consisted mostly of presentations on the 2017 budget from six departments funded by the city’s general fund on what they hope to do in the upcoming year, and what they have been able to accomplish so far.
According to Finance Department information, the Police Department is expecting expenses of just over $2.71 million, with revenues tabbed at $276,000. Notable is the absence of between $85,000 – $90,000 in dispatch service monies, which the city lost when Eastern Washington University declined to renew its contract and went with Spokane County Sheriff’s Office services.
The Fire Department is forecasting expenses at almost $1.75 million, with revenues projected at $814,200, including $263,700 from the emergency services levy. The three-person Municipal Court is looking at $348,200 in expenses against a projected $378,200 in revenue.
All three departments pull any differences between expenses and their revenues from the city’s general fund.
Police Department
Police Chief John Hensley said calls for service are increasing by almost a 1,000 calls annually, running 27,602 through October 2016, even with the departure of dispatch services for EWU. The overall uniform crime reporting rate is up 7.5 percent over 2015 figures.
The department’s priority one (emergency) response time has increased to 3 minutes, 40 seconds. Hensley said data behind the figures didn’t shows causes for the up tick in response time, but it’s a worry for department officials.
Accomplishments in 2016 include the purchase of needed equipment ranging from patrol rifles to laptop computers to replacing four police vehicles. The department assumed city-wide code enforcement duties, as well as undergoing a department reorganization. The department also used some 2015 levy lid lift funding to add another patrol officer.
Goals for 2017 include hiring officers to help fill the department’s depleted reserve corps, two of which should begin work before the end of 2016. Hensley said it’s been difficult to attract and keep reserve officers because they have a skill set desired by other agencies.
“They’re very difficult to find these days,” he added. “They come to work for us for a couple of months and then get scooped up by somebody else.”
Hensley said discussion is needed on how to assist the department’s detective, who is seeing more complicated and serious cases requiring more time, and with the Cheney School District on the school resource officer, who is at capacity regarding his duties.
Overtime, projected at $80,000 in 2017, continues to be an issue even with the addition of another officer. Councilman John Taves said he was under the assumption the levy lift and new officer would alleviate the issue, and wondered how it was being addressed.
Hensley said the new officer took one quarter of the lid lift, and that hiring a second would remove another quarter. The reserve officers will be capable of filling shifts and working the street solo.
Municipal Court
Cheney’s court budget accounts for 3 percent of the general fund, yet provides a high volume of services.
“We don’t use a lot resources, except for people,” Court Administrator Terri Cooper said.
The court has moved to what’s called the “restorative justice” service model, something Cooper said saves money while also benefiting people in the system. Under the model, 85 percent of criminal cases have been resolved through “diversion,” which requires more work for the court in areas such as probation.
The model means fewer fines, but increased monitoring, education and counseling. The upside is that more money collected through fines, fees and other means stays local then before.
In 2004, 73 percent of dollars collected stayed in Cheney, while in 2015, 89 percent stayed local.
In 2017, Cheney’s court hopes to restore its computer replacement program, some court operations funding, secure a domestic violence victim advocate and promote and expand the youth court.
Fire Department
City Administrator Mark Schuller, representing the department in lieu of a fire chief, said 2016 was a “Big year for fire.” Besides equipment purchases and repairs along with additional EMS training, Schuller said the most critical accomplishment was restoration of department staff meetings, with were eliminated due to shift requirements.
“It may cost a bit in overtime, but it will increase communication,” he added.
Call volume has increased through October in six of seven areas, the most notable of which is in EMS life-threatening incidents. In 2014, life-threatening incidents were just over 300 from January – October, while in 2015 they were approaching 400. While final tabulations aren’t complete, Schuller said 2016 is continuing that trend.
In 2017, the department will begin working towards one of its goals of replacing outdated and unserviceable equipment by using $205,000 of levy lift funds to begin saving for a new No. 1 attack engine, replace self-contained breathing apparatus, purchase more EMS equipment in order to be able to respond to simultaneous calls for service and take care of some fire station improvements.
One goal critical to Schuller and department personnel is to better monitor the performance of American Medical Response services, particularly response time to the community.
“In the past, I think we’ve looked at it, but have not held them as accountable as we should have,” Schuller said.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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