By Philip Haldiman
(Chris Caraveo/Independent Newsmedia)
By
Philip Haldiman,
Independent Newsmedia
Peoria’s proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2018 will include 12 more full-time positions than last year.
This will bring the city’s total staffing for benefited full-time positions to about 1,204.
City Manager Swenson said the budget also includes modest increases in wages and benefits to help attract and retain a quality work force.
Overall, Peoria’s proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2018 won’t see a whole lot of change compared with last year, he said.
“We don’t have a whole lot of new revenue, so we’ve applied them to priority areas,” he said.
The operating budget is $277.3 million, an increase of $8.2 million, a 3.1 percent gain from last year’s $269.1 million.
Based on the city’s projected revenue estimates, the 2018 operating budget can be balanced without any increase to city taxes.
Half of the new positions will be added to the police department, including three police officers and two police service officers, which focus on specialized law enforcement, customer service, crime prevention, prisoner care, and custody duties.
The budget also includes funds for a victim advocate position to provide crisis intervention, support and referrals for crime victims.
The police budget also includes funds for new technology and equipment for data-driven and community-based policing.
About $48 million of the city’s operating budget is allocated for police operations.
Police Chief Roy Minter said $50,000 will allow the police department to conduct an officer recruitment strategy to address the current challenges of recruiting qualified applicants for the job of police officer.
He said it will help the department extend its reach with respect to potential candidate pools to attract applicants from diverse populations and find the best employees to maintain a competitive edge.
“We are in a highly competitive law enforcement recruiting environment, so on an annual basis, we assess our staffing needs,” he said. “We are looking at incremental growth, so we have taken a look at our future needs. The growth plan will take a hard look at that.”
Additional new city full-time positions include three new residential solid waste equipment operators, a storekeeper, a safety administrator, and an arts and culture coordinator.
Mr. Swenson said as the economy continues to recover and demands for services increase, additional new positions are necessary to meet the city's needs.
“Growth has created a need for these positions,” he said.
Increased needs due to growth have also affected the Public Works Department, which is requesting an $800,000 increase for the water supply budget to address the increased cost of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water as well as demands and replenishment obligations. CAP water represents 60 percent of the city’s annual water supply.
Management and Budget Director Katie Gregory said it plays an important role in maintaining the current level of service and in furthering the city’s goal to store water in the event of decreased surface water supplies due to drought.
CAP Municipal and Industrial capital charges have increased from $23 per acre-foot in fiscal year 2016 to $49 per acre-foot in fiscal year 2018. The city’s CAP water allocation is 25,236 acre-feet. CAP delivery fees have also increased from $164 per acre-foot in fiscal year 2017 to $171 per acre-foot in fiscal year 2018. Peoria’s water order in fiscal year 2018 also increased from 22,400 acre-feet to 23,000 acre-feet to accommodate water demand and replenishment obligation due to growth.
Ms. Gregory said the Public Work’s Department budget increase will allow for the city to meet existing and future potable and drought protection water demands.
“We are looking at a possible drought in 2019 or 2020. We are anticipating this,” she said.