AURORA — The Aurora Police union has ratified a plan to lower a mandated police staffing ratio for new hires.
The city was notified this afternoon that members of the Aurora Police Association gave approval to the plan. It passed by a margin of 318 to 48 votes.
The ratio will go from two officers for every 1,000 residents to 1.6 officers. It will save the city up to $40 million over the next 10 years.
Had the union not ratified the plan, a property tax hike would have been on the Nov. 1 ballot, asking voters to help make up a police-hiring budget shortfall.
In the original ballot proposal, had voters shot that down, a quarter-cent sales tax that pays for the two-per-1,000 ratio would have gone away, costing the city between $9 million and $10 million annually.
But on Friday, during an emergency meeting in which the new staffing ratio was approved by the City Council, it also agreed to take the part about the sales tax disappearing off of the ballot.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
