Santa Rosa police deficit of $7.6 million prompts 43 layoff warnings
Published: Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 3:22 p.m.
Santa Rosa Police Chief Tom Simms said Wednesday the department may have to cut as many as 43 patrol officers, sergeants and other staff members to meet its share of the city’s budget crisis.
The department is currently trying to resolve a $7.6 million deficit.
Simms said he didn’t expect all of those people to receive layoff notices, but that staff cuts likely will be necessary to meet current budget expectations. Layoffs would occur in June.
The “worst case scenario” list of layoffs was developed after consultation with the department’s command staff, Simms said.
The list has gone to City Manager Jeff Kolin for review and the final recommendations will go to the City Council for approval.
“I don’t know what positions would be cut. It’s up to the council,” Simms said. “Everything right now is tentative.”
Police employees affected by the cuts — 31 uniformed officers and 12 civilian staff members — were notified Tuesday in personal meetings with supervisors or via a voicemail from Field Services Capt. Gary Negri.
“We are letting people know that depending on the budget situation,” their positions could be in jeopardy, Simms said. “We wanted to give them a heads up,” He added that “there’s a lot of concern and upset and understanding.”
Layoffs are being considered throughout all city departments as the city tries to resolve a $23 million budget deficit for next year’s fiscal budget, when begins in July.
Cuts totaling $8 million already have been approved and City Manager Jeff Kolin is expected to present a list of additional recommendations totaling $12 million to $15 million at a council meeting Feb. 24.
The police cuts are likely to be included.
Negri said the explanation given to officers was that “based on the scenario that if $7.6 million is what we have to give back to the city, their positions could be affected.”
Patrol officers, who have the least seniority, will bear the brunt of the budget axe, said Ken Johnson, president of the Police Officers Association.
“We’re going to lose the 31 youngest or newest,” Johnson said. “All of those people are going to come from patrol.”
The loss could ricochet through the department as positions are shuffled down to fill the thinned patrol ranks, police officials said.
That could lead to the consolidation of detective sections like violent crime, gangs and domestic violence, and a cut in services, Sgt. Doug Schlief said.
“If a significant number of positions are cut, that would be a reason to believe that our crash rate would go up, the number of tickets would go down, traffic safety and response times all would be jeopardized,” he said.
A cut of 43 police staff would be the largest in recent city history. In 2004, nine officers were eliminated in a reorganization of the police department. In 2003, 22 positions were cut.
In the current budget crisis, Negri said no one has received a layoff notice to date, “but tensions are high and there’s a lot of anxiety when you talk about people losing their jobs.”
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