Mayor John Hickenlooper on Thursday proposed a $773 million budget for 2006 that would bolster the police force and restore Wednesday hours to the downtown library, ensuring it would be open seven days a week.
The budget, which would increase overall spending by 3.8 percent, calls for $5.6 million in cuts, primarily by not filling about 50 vacancies throughout the city workforce. And it would require the city to tap into $11.7 million in reserve funds.
“This proposed budget continues our efforts to find efficiencies, enabling us to restore select services to previous levels, particularly the hiring of new police to increase the number of officers on our streets,” the mayor said in a letter to the City Council and Denver residents.
Hickenlooper said the budget proposal projects that modest economic growth will allow the city to avoid the type of budgetary pain that reduced its workforce by 200 positions over the past two years.
Council President Rosemary Rodriguez said she views the mayor’s proposal “as a really good step given that we’re in another year of constraint.”
The budget aims to shore up the police force by earmarking $2.8 million to hire and train 135 new officers in 2006, many of whom would fill 115 projected vacancies due to retirements. Authorized strength at the Police Department would increase from 1,405 to 1,425.
Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz, who is chairing a task force aimed at addressing a decline in arrests by police, said even more officers are needed.
“My concern is that we don’t have enough of a net increase at the Police Department,” Faatz said. “There will be some positions that will be new there, but a relatively small number.”
She said she also was disheartened that the budget replaces only two city firetrucks.
The budget also calls for $7.7 million for the first year of the mayor’s initiative to address homeless issues, nearly a 70 percent increase over the prior year. The plan, however, relies on state and federal aid and contributions from companies and foundations – not general-fund revenues.
“The helping-the-homeless plan takes nothing from other activities,” said Roxane White, the manager of the Denver Department of Human Services. “These are not general-fund dollars.”
The budget also earmarks $4.6 million to give the city’s employees bonuses rather than cost-of-living increases. Merit increases also are planned. And it pledges to pave 120 alleys over the next two years.
The budget reflects a recent increase in fees at recreation centers that will raise an extra $1.6 million annually.
It calls for tapping the reserves to improve the city’s recycling program, create a new system for maintaining police records and open a new call center that will allow residents to dial one phone number to access any city service.
Rodriguez said she especially liked that the Central Library will restore Wednesday hours. The library system also will standardize library hours across the city, consolidating 21 schedules into three schedules.
“I’m excited about flat-lining library services across the city,” Rodriguez said. “There have been alleged disparities, and this will put that to rest.”
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher can be reached at 303-820-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com.
