Young submits $441 million budget to city, county for Metro

Jen Lawson

Wednesday, March 30, 2005 | 9:14 a.m.

Sheriff Bill Young submitted an amended budget Monday to the city and county that asks for $441 million for the upcoming fiscal year, noting that he expects to adjust his budget once the Legislature makes a decision on the property tax issue.

The department relies on property taxes for about 30 percent of its funding, and Karen Keller, director of finance for Metro, said if things go as expected on the property tax issue, the department will suffer a loss, but the amount cannot yet be quantified.

In the budget request Young presented Feb. 28 to the City Council and County Commission, he asked for $6.3 million for a new substation in the southwest Las Vegas Valley.

However, the budget submitted Monday does not include funding for the substation -- the city and county will include the cost in their own budgets.

The city and county both contribute to the department according to a funding formula based on population.

The county contributes 60.5 percent, or $171 million, to the department and the city contributes 39.5 percent, or $111 million.

"It won't be funnelled through our operating budget," Keller said. "Typically when we do these major capital purchases we do it outside our budget. We can't own real property ourselves, and we've done it this way with every capital purchase."

The request for 59 police officers and 50 civilian support employees still stands, according to the budget.

Young said he is seeking fewer officers through the budget process than in past years because of "a very, very strong feeling" that the "More Cops" intiative, which seeks to raise sales tax to pay for more police officers, will pass.

"I am very, very confident this will make a difference in crime."