City discusses staff additions during first budget session

New employees for Lynchburg police, firefighters and children services were all put on the table Tuesday during City Council’s first budget session.

Council, working from a proposal that included no additions to staff, asked for second consideration to be given to requests for extra police officers and one new firefighter.

It was also suggested a “prevention specialist” be hired to combat teen pregnancy.

Only one cut was suggested during the all-afternoon meeting, in which officials examined $93.5 million in general expenses.
Ward IV Councilman Joe Seiffert asked that $4,000 for the training of youth counselors be deleted from the juvenile services budget. Instead, he suggested the city collaborate with existing school programs to save money.

The budget for FY09, which starts in July and ends June 2009, has been widely described as a “maintenance” plan that doesn’t include new initiatives. Department allocations examined Tuesday include funding for social services, parks and recreation, community development, public works, and public safety.

Six new employees requested within the public safety division carry a combined cost of nearly $389,000, budget documents show, including both salaries and equipment.

Lynchburg police asked for five extra positions as part of their goal of having 180 sworn officers by 2010. Currently, they have a staff of 170.

In explaining their target, police pointed to the city’s growing population, as well as a desire to increase community policing and step up investigations of both white-collar and street crime.

Last year, the department was given funding for seven new officers.

This year, no new employees were recommended by City Manager Kimball Payne for any department due to budget constraints.
Meanwhile, the fire department requested one new firefighter to restore a spot eliminated years earlier when the city created its emergency services coordinator position.

If approved, the extra firefighter would be added to the inspections staff to counter growing development, officials said.
Ward III Councilman Jeff Helgeson asked for the additional police officers to be added back in the budget, saying it was critical the city stay at the “cutting edge” of public safety.

Ward II Councilman Ceasor Johnson suggested reinstating the extra firefighter after the fire chief named it the No. 1 thing he’d like to see put back in.

All suggested additions and deletions will be given final consideration at the end of this year’s budget review, which is expected to wrap up in late April. City Council’s next budget session is scheduled for 1 p.m. next Tuesday.

Mayor Joan Foster’s proposal this week — for the juvenile services division to hire a teen-pregnancy prevention specialist — had no immediate cost estimate.

Foster cited statistics that indicate one in every 20 Lynchburg babies is born to a teenage mother.

That was not included in any of the department’s original budget requests.

Juvenile services runs support programs for at-risk kids. The division currently has one “prevention specialist” who does not address teen pregnancy, although officials said adding that to the curriculum has been discussed.

Foster said the city needs to spend more on prevention now to head off costlier problems down the road.