Hession’s plan adds police, firefighters

Five months after citing budgetary and other concerns when declining to fill four police positions created by the Spokane City Council, Mayor Dennis Hession unveiled a plan Wednesday to hire six times as many.

The difference now, Hession said, is the continued strength of Spokane’s economy, cost-cutting measures implemented at City Hall and development of a hiring plan crafted by public safety professionals rather than politicians. The proposal, parts of which require City Council approval, also calls for adding 10 employees to the fire department.

“This plan for public safety is sustainable,” the mayor said, adding that none of the proposals he saw emerging from the City Council were as researched or vetted. “It’s a different approach to policing.”

Hession, facing a tough battle to keep his job, made the announcement about a week before ballots for the Aug. 21 primary are sent to voters, and at least one of his opponents questioned the timing.

“This mayor accused me of politicizing public safety and now he’s finally coming around to agree with me,” said city councilman and mayoral hopeful Al French, who has made hiring more police and firefighters a cornerstone of his campaign. “It’s troubling when an individual puts their political concerns ahead of the safety of the citizens of this community.”

A third mayoral candidate, City Councilwoman Mary Verner, attended the announcement but left the gathering before she could be asked for a comment.

Hession found an unlikely ally for his proposal in Councilman Brad Stark, who has been one of the mayor’s most vocal critics. An hour and a half after Hession’s news conference, Stark made his own announcement, saying he would withdraw his proposal to seek voter approval for another two-year property tax increase.

After meeting with administration officials over the past few weeks, Stark said he’s become confident that there’s enough money to pay for more public safety officers without more taxes.

“At the end of the implementation period there will be adequate levels of service,” Stark said.

Hession repeatedly has been hammered by some members of City Council for not filling four police officer slots and four positions in the fire department that were budgeted last year.

When Hession refused to hire the additional employees, he pointed to the Matrix efficiency study, which the city commissioned last year to recommend ways to cut costs. That report said the city could get along with fewer police and firefighters. At the same time, however, Hession repeatedly has said that he would be willing to buck the study based on recommendations from Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick and Fire Chief Bobby Williams.

Hession said there’s a big difference between his plan and the council’s attempt to hire more officers.

“It’s a much more deliberate and analytical process,” Hession said. “I’m a believer in performance. Just adding people for the sake of adding people was not a solution to me.”

Under the mayor’s proposal, 24 additional police officers would be hired over the next two years, as well as 10 new fire department employees.

The mayor’s plan for police would add:

“19 patrol officers

“Three neighborhood resource officers

“One property crime detective

“One child abuse detective

Police also would be divided in a new, neighborhood-based system. Currently officers work north or south patrol. That will change to eight neighborhood units, four on each side of the river.

In the fire department, Hession proposes adding:

“Six firefighters to create a three-person engine response company for peak hours

“A heavy equipment mechanic

“An EMS trainer

“A human resources position

“A deputy fire marshal to conduct fire inspections

Half of the police jobs and all the extra fire positions would be added next year and paid for with existing resources at a cost of about $2.2 million.

Chief Financial Officer Gavin Cooley said the city traditionally has spent less in the police and fire departments than budgeted, and the new positions will bring the city closer to evening revenues with expenses.

“When you’re overly cautious, in my mind, the budget ceases to be an effective management tool,” Cooley said.

Recent city projections have shown the city going into the red as early as 2009 without extra taxes. Cooley said, however, that those models were using long-term expectations. In the short-term, the forecast is much rosier.

For instance, sales tax revenues were up a whopping 11 percent last year.

Cooley says that based on what’s been generated so far this year, the city could see a 10 percent increase in sales tax revenue over that.

Hession said he’s confident that those hired under the plan would not face layoffs because of future budget shortfalls.

Still, Cooley said the long-term gap that shows expenses growing at a higher rate than revenues is unfixed and will remain so until the city can reduce its costs from employee benefits.

“For the next couple of years, this is very supportable,” Cooley said.

Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin, who also attended the press conference, said she was disappointed that the council wasn’t briefed about the topic beforehand but added that she would cut Hession some slack because two of his mayoral opponents are on the council.

Hession said the only council members who were briefed on the proposal were Stark and Council President Joe Shogan.

Greg Borg, president of Local 29, the Spokane firefighters’ union, said the force badly needs the hires but wondered why the group hadn’t been informed about the idea before the news conference. He added that the force still won’t reach levels they were at before cuts were made in 2004.

Local 29 has endorsed French in the mayoral election.

“It’s a little bit worrying that he says we’re partnering on it, but yet we only found out about it an hour ago,” Borg said.