Lynnwood police officials are preparing for cuts that would “decimate” the department.
That’s how Chief Steven Jensen described the situation last week to Lynnwood City Council members.
The City Council is starting the new budget phase with a possible shortfall of more than $20 million in 2011 and 2012. That number could get even bigger because the city still has to pay back money it borrowed to solve the deficit in the last budget cycle.
Police officials have been told to find $9 million in cuts. That’s almost 25 percent of their budget. Deputy Chief Karen Manser says reductions of that magnitude would be devastating.
“That eliminates almost every special program within the police department including narcotics, special operations, reserves, animal control and community services,” she told us. “Eliminating entire programs including the overhead and maintenance associated with them was the only way to reach the $9 million dollar figure.”
That would eliminate the police department’s popular volunteer program. Even patrol would take a hit under the proposal. Chief Jensen said patrol is going to be diminished so much “we really should evaluate whether or not we have a police department,” he told the Council. “I ain’t shocked about much, but I’m shocked about the impact on this police department.”
Under the current proposal, Lynnwood would lose 25 out of 80 officers (five of those positions are already or will soon be vacant.) They’ll also lose 10 out of 34 civilian positions and eight out of 10 part-time positions.
The front desk would have regular business hours instead of being open around the clock. Even jail alternative programs such as home detention and community services would be reduced.
Part of the problem, Deputy Chief Manser says, is that Lynnwood relies too heavily on sales tax revenue.
“Finance directors that have worked for the city in the past all individually recommended a more diverse tax base so the city would be more stable. That diversification was never accomplished,” she said.
Deputy Chief Manser says they were only advised by the mayor of the potential shortfalls two weeks ago. “We had obviously been expecting to have the conversation about the decline in revenues and the inability to support the current levels of service for the 2011-2012 budget, but we had no idea what the actual number was going to be.”
Other departments, including fire, are also facing major budget cuts that will dramatically change their level of service.
Expect to hear much more about this over the next few months. The new budget must be approved in December.