Increases in police, staff costs push city budget up 7.9 percent

Erin Neff

Monday, May 17, 1999 | 11:39 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council is expected to approve a "business as usual" budget on Tuesday, with most of the increased costs attributed to new staff and more money for police services.

Overall the $294 million budget for fiscal year 2000, which begins July 1, is a 7.9 percent increase over the previous fiscal year's spending plan, due largely to $3.6 million in increased contributions to the Metropolitan Police Department and just over $3 million for 60 new staff positions.

The budget anticipates a 7.8 percent increase in the city's share of state taxes, Finance Director Mark Vincent said.

The City Council must approve the budget by May 18. The council will also examine the Redevelopment Agency's $23.6 million budget plan.

The opening of two new recreation centers this summer and the need for part-time lifeguards at the new Dula municipal pool account for most of the new positions, said Steven Houchens, the deputy city manager who oversees the budget.

The opening of the Palo Verde recreation center adjacent to Palo Verde High School and the Northwest Family Center at Cheyenne and Gowan avenues require seven full-time employees. The new pool is getting 37 part-time lifeguards.

"This is really a business as usual budget," Houchens said. "Our instructions to department heads basically were to continue to work with what you have. We told them we're not going to increase (the spending) unless you justify it."

While the budget so far is business as usual, Houchens said the city is looking at a less usual way to save money. An early-retirement buy-out option is being considered this fiscal year to further reduce costs. Details of that program have not yet been proposed.

City employees' salaries and benefits are areas where a cost savings can make a difference, as they make up 60 percent of the overall general fund budget.

Although the city's population rose 3 percent during the past year, the city's full-time staff increased only 1 percent.

Overall, Houchens said, he did not think any one department was hurt by this year's budget, as no major cuts are scheduled.

However, a Fire Department request for an additional fire station was rejected. The department received funding for a new station in 1999, but due to additional growth and the delay in seeking a fire bond, fire officials again asked for another station.

"We have the money for a new station," Houchens said. "But we don't have the money to add 35 firefighters to man it."

Next to the cost of city employees' salaries, Metro's record $73 million request is the city's next biggest spending item. Metro's request is a 13.4 percent increase from fiscal year 1999, due in part to funding needs for 110 additional police officers.

The city's Detention & Enforcement Department will receive about $3.5 million in rent from the Immigration and Naturalization Service for the housing of deportees.

The budget includes 20 new positions -- estimated at $1.2 million -- to properly staff the expanded jail bed program.

The city also will receive an estimated $800,000 from the new fees its fire department collects for emergency transportation of medical patients. The council authorized that program in January.

Another potential budget trend in the coming year will be an examination of the city's five enterprise funds that are designed to account for business-like ventures such as sanitation, parking and the Woodlawn Cemetery.

It is possible interest from those funds can be transferred into the capital improvement fund to provide money for badly needed parks and recreation services.

The city also will need to set aside money for the January 2000 launch of its own cable television channel, Houchens said.