Sedona budget: officials answer questions about police payroll

by Cyndy Hardy

Sedona, AZ - May 15, 2008 – Whether it gets completely spent or not, the Sedona Police Department’s proposed budget remains well-fed despite the city council’s intention to trim the budgeted gap.

Sedona Police Chief Joe Vernier’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2008/09 is about $2.77 million; which represents about 21 percent of the city’s proposed general fund. Payroll and associated costs account for about $2,414,594 or 87 percent of the department’s total budget.

The proposed police payroll for FY08/09 is about two percent more than the $2,365,236 budgeted in FY07/08; however, it is about $362,000 or roughly 17 percent more than the city will spend by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends next month.

Year-end projected actual spending presented at Monday’s city council budget hearing show payroll costs will fall about $312,585 below the budgeted amount; even though the city will have paid out more than $366,000 in overtime and about $283,637 in shift differential pay.

Mr. Vernier told the city council there is currently only one position open on his staff of support personnel and 34 sworn officers (including the chief). With no request for significant increase in personnel, the chief estimates about $271,000 in overtime and about $31,000 in shift differential pay next year, according to the proposed budget.

None of the city council members directly questioned the chief or City Manager Eric Levitt about the payroll, although Councilman Rob Adams asked if the chief felt the department was overstaffed.

“For the time being, I think we’ve done a good job of staffing the department,” Mr. Vernier said at Monday’s meeting. Thousands of calls for service result in about 14,000 case reports per year, he said.

“Staffing one position takes about four to five people,” Mr. Vernier said. Unlike other city departments, patrol units operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week with four or five officers per shift; not including detectives and special details such as agency assists and DUI stings.

And unlike most professions, staffing a police force means ensuring there are enough officers to protect each other; and to cover days off, vacations, sick time, training time and special detail.

Public safety means more than protecting Sedona’s residents, Mr. Vernier said. With estimates that two to four million tourists visit Sedona each year, the actual population in the city on any given day can be twice the number of residents. In addition, the Verde Valley is growing, which adds demands on local police, Mr. Vernier said.

But the question isn’t whether the police department is overstaffed. The question is why the police payroll is almost 14 percent under budget; and why the city is keeping the funding at its current level with no significant increase in personal.

In his executive summary for the proposed budget, Mr. Levitt stated, “[B]ased on Councilor [Rob] Adams’ motion at the budget guidelines agenda item, the city council has requested that information be provided to allow for optional budget reductions to allow for the budgeted gap to be closed or eliminated.”

On Tuesday, several city council members said they did not see a problem with the difference in the department’s year-end projected actuals and the proposed budget.

Mr. Adams said it was not the council’s intent to completely eliminate the budgeted gap.

Mr. Levitt said in an email message Tuesday the city’s finance manager, Barbara Ashley could easily answer the questions; however, she is out of town for training until next week. Later that night, he added that several factors could account for the low projected actual figures including the possibility that the police department underestimated the amount.

In a follow-up phone message on Wednesday, Assistant City Manager Allison Zelms said some positions in the police department were budgeted but not fully staffed at times during the year including two parking enforcement positions which were budgeted but not filled. Additionally, a part-time position was eliminated as a condition to add two police positions at mid-year.

Next year’s projections are based on the department being fully staffed and included readjusted salaries, Ms Zelms said. Salaries for the parking enforcement positions, which were originally based on entry-level officer pay, were reduced “because that is not what we would actually pay,” she said.

Ms. Zelms also found a “slight” under-projection for the year-end projected actuals of about $50,000. More information may become available through the finance manager, she said.

© 2008 Cyndy Hardy. This article may not be reproduced, republished or distributed without written permission from the author.

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