Police see help in budget

Kris Hill

Wednesday, April 25, 2001 | 11:23 a.m.

Catch-up is a phrase North Las Vegas city officials are trying to cut from their vocabulary, and they hope to do that as they plan next year's budget.

"I want to assure you that we're making strides to bring our services up to the level they need to be at," City Manager Kurt Fritsch said.

City staff presented a tentative budget to the City Council Tuesday afternoon that included 35 percent of the total budget going toward police and fire services.

A large chunk of the $215 million budget is dedicated to public safety, including adding 15 new firefighters and 17 new police officers, two places the city has been playing catch-up during the past few years.

The city plans to spend $19.5 million on police services, while the fire department has been allotted a little more that $11 million. During this fiscal year, more than $18.8 million was budgeted for the police department, while the fire department received $10.9 million.

In addition to adding 17 officers, the police department plans to fill nine vacancies, as well as any other positions that open as officers retire.

The rest of the budget breaks down to 24 percent planned for utilities and 41 percent to pay for all other city programs and services.

The staff is also preparing for the impact that two legislative bills may have on the budget.

Assembly Bill 653, which proposes to change the consolidated tax distribution formula, would put money in the city's coffers.

Assembly Bill 457, which proposes to take the motor vehicle privilege tax and use that to raise teachers' salaries, would take money away.

Changes won't need to be made to next year's budget if the consolidated tax changes don't pass, Fritsch said, because that money has been included in the budget.

But it will affect proposed court, detention and police construction projects the following year, he said. It will also affect the city's ability to add more police officers and firefighters in two years.

If the motor vehicle privilege tax changes pass, the city would have to cut the proposed additional police, fire and parks and recreation staff. It could also delay the construction of the new recreation center.

"The hit in the following year would be just as devastating," Fritsch said.

Those would be the areas to cut because those are the largest chunks of the budget.

Fritsch said the city could lose more than $1 million in the first year if AB457 passes.

A public hearing on the city's budget is set for 4 p.m. May 15.