Tribune File/Debra Reid - Sparks Police Officer Shane Minick arrests a suspected drunk driver after the man failed field sobriety tests at the Greenbrae Shopping Center in Novermber 2009.
On the table is the possible support of a plan to raise local taxes by .25 percent in order to pay for 25 new police officers. The push behind the plan comes from the Public Safety Tax Initiative Political Action Committee (PAC). The committee was formed in late 2009 with the aim of placing an advisory question on the November ballot to see if voters would approve the tax increase.
A similar .25 percent sales tax hike for public safety went before voters in 2006 as part of a county-wide ballot measure.
It passed in Sparks and Reno, but failed in Washoe County, derailing Sparks’ efforts to hire additional police officers.
The city currently has 108 sworn police officers. That’s 66 below national standards for a city the size of Sparks, which has seen significant growth the past decade.
If the council votes to throw its weight behind the advisory question, the PAC would petition the legislature with a bill draft request to get the question before the voters in November.
On the topic of the police department, the council will also discuss promoting now acting Police Chief Steve Keefer to the post of permanent police chief.
The 20-year department veteran has been acting as the leader of the organization since October 2009 when then-chief Steve Asher resigned.
If Keefer gets the position permanently, he will be earning $135,688 per year along with a car allowance. His current salary is $130,850, which includes a 10 percent pay increase from what he was making as deputy police chief to compensate for the added responsibilities.
The theme of public safety will continue as the council considers the next step for a federal grant that could bring 11 laid off
firefighters back into city employment.
The more than $2.3 million grant would pay the salaries for the firefighters for two years. However, the cost for training and equipping the staff would have to come from the fire department’s budget at a cost of $83,750.
City staff state in staff reports that moving forward with the grant process is “not recommended without additional revenue assistance to address the anticipated fiscal year 2011-12 fire department reductions.”
In other business, the council will hear a presentation on the Sparks Citizens Advisory Committee. They will also hear from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada.
The meeting will be held at Sparks City Hall in the city council chambers and will be followed by a meeting of the city’s redevelopment agency.
For more information on these stories, read
Sparks hopes for firefighter grant
Sparks mulls sales tax hike to pay for more police Sparks hoping to hire permanent police chief
Why would we have to train and equip workers getting their jobs BACK? I would think that they were trained, and had equipment, when they were laid off. Have thy forgotten the training? Can't they just use their old gear? It should still be in their lockers, no?