LINCOLN --Lincoln City Council is tentatively scheduled to consider a resolution at its March 20 meeting to ask voters to approve a a three-fourths percent local sales and use tax for the city's general fund.
Mayor Rob Hulse, who has said he will not run for re-election, recommended placing the question on the November general election ballot at the Council's February meeting. The March 20 meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the District Courtroom on Lincoln Square.
Hulse proposes using some of the new revenue to hire a sixth police officer. The rest would go into the general fund to help pay for city maintenance and operations.
Hutchens on Monday said he wants the Council to discuss the proposal and hopes to have a resolution on the agenda in case Council members are ready to go ahead and vote to place the question on the ballot.
"This would enable us to put a sixth officer on the street and help us give better protection," Hulse said Monday.
Council member Doug Hutchens, who has announced he plans to run for mayor in November, noted the city does not have a funding mechanism for its general fund.
"We have a tight, tight budget every year and we need to give ourselves some cushion," Hutchens said at the February Council meeting. "I feel the need is warranted. We've got to increase our revenue stream."
Currently, the city of Lincoln has a 2-percent sales tax rate. Of this, 1 percent is dedicated to capital improvements. The other 1 percent is split between Lincoln Public Library and parks and recreation, with part of this being used to pay off the library construction loan.
Revenue from each 1 percent sales tax has grown a little over the past years, according to information from Belinda Beasley, deputy city clerk. In 2014, the city received $214,263 from its 1 percent sales tax. In 2016, the city received $242,817 and for 2017, the city brought in $263,744 from its 1-percent tax, an average of about $22,000 per month.
Hutchens last week said the city does not have a revenue stream for the general fund, which is used to help pay for expenses for police protection and support.
Fines and fees collected through the police department help with police costs but these revenues have declined over the years, Hutchens said.
Hutchens pointed out in addition to the city's population, police also deal with the flow of traffic through town. Officers are being sent out on calls by themselves and having to put in overtime because there are not enough officers.
"The whole environment (in law enforcement) has changed the last five years," Hutchens said. "Routine stops have changed. The risks are so much higher. We're having a hard time retaining good officers because of that. They're going back to departments who have more officers."
Russell Morphis, Lincoln police chief, said the department had six officers when he became chief in 2010. Over the years, officers have left for various reasons and about two or three years ago, city officials decided not to fill the sixth position, Morphis said.
"We may be one of the few departments that has reduced officers rather than added on," Morphis noted. "If something like that happened (a sales tax increase) it definitely would be welcomed."
Morphis said a sixth officer would help with 24/7 coverage in the city, improve officer safety and provide improved customer service.
Of the five officers, which includes the chief, one is assigned as a school resource officer.
"A police department is open 24/7," Morphis said. "To have this you need to have more than five officers."
Morphis said when taking into consideration vacation time and sick leave and sometimes extended sick leave, many times the department only has four officers available.
The safety of officers is probably the most glaring reason to add to the department, Morphis said. Having one officer respond to a situation is not ideal nor safe, but Lincoln is put into that spot many times, he said.
"Should these officers respond to a violent call by themselves? They should not," he said. However, many times it takes 10-15 minutes before other officers from Prairie Grove or the county can show up to help, he added.
He has talked about the need for another officer over the years and said he believes the mayor and council members when they say they support the idea but money is just not available.
"I believe if the funds were available, they would make it so I could hire another officer," Morphis said.
General News on 03/14/2018