City Council approves addition of new police officer
– At Tuesday’s Paso Robles City Council meeting, the council voted to approve the restoration of a traffic officer position.
Paso Robles Police Department
In Police Chief Robert Burton’s report to the council, he says, “The Paso Robles Police Department, with City Council support, has made steady progress in rebuilding its core services since the Great Recession. Although progress has been made, the city has yet to restore the core service of a Traffic Safety Program in the police department. A Traffic Safety Program is needed to provide safety for residents and visitors, while effectively handling traffic concerns on a daily basis… The police department recommends restoring the vital core service of traffic safety.”
Although some of the officer’s salary will come from a state grant, the addition of the new officer will result in increased city overspending. For this reason, Councilman John Hamon cast a “no” vote. Hamon said that the city should first look over its revenue report, which will be presented at a meeting in January, and/or find alternative ways to fund the position. He was, however, in support of the idea of restoring the position to improve public safety.
The fiscal impact will be $62,500 from the general fund fiscal year 2015-2016 and a $125,000 annual general fund impact for all following years.
Mayor Steve Martin said that he has gotten many emails, phone calls and verbal requests from citizens for the city to improve traffic safety.
Martin said that the council all agreed that there was a real and urgent need for this position. “I’ve always said that public safety is my number one concern,” said Martin. Martin said that he “Wouldn’t have been able to face my constituents in the eye” if he had cast a dissenting vote, considering what a precedence he has put in public safety during his campaign and term.
