Fire, police departments present 2018 budgets

Budget presentations by Cheney's fire and police department chiefs at the Nov. 28 City Council meeting can be summed up in one word - more. More calls, more requirements and more needs for personnel and equipment.

Fire department

New Fire Chief Tom Jenkins told the council that call volumes are on track to increase 7 percent from last year's total of 1,461, which was one shy of the record set in 2015. Through October, the department had responded to 1,382 calls, and Jenkins projects the year-end total should be around 1,480.

Those 2016 totals averaged four calls per day, and Jenkins estimates that should increase to 7.2 calls per day by 2030. That estimate is based on a 4 percent yearly increase, while the 10-year average is 7.2 percent.

Accomplishments in 2017 include a third paramedic completing certification training, and the replacement of some aging medical equipment, giving the department two vehicles fully equipped to handle advanced life support type calls.

Cheney relied quite a bit on its larger neighbor, Spokane County Fire District 3, to provide mutual aid in 2017, and Jenkins said he hopes to find "creative ways" to reciprocate in 2018.

"Seems like they're always giving to the city, but we're not giving anything in return," he added.

The department's current expense fund budget stands at just short of $3.02 million in 2018. It could also be the big winner when it comes to spending some of the city's levy lid lift funds that should total around $631,800 - $446,300 the projected amount from property taxes in 2018, coupled with $185,500 left after expenditures in 2016 and 2017.

Voters approved the levy lid lift in 2015, dedicating 23 percent of the city's general property taxes to public safety. Cheney set aside $100,000 in 2016 and 2017 as part of a down payment on a new fire truck - along with another $100,000 in 2018 - which the council agreed to purchase at a previous meeting.

Also part of the fire department's $407,300 levy lift uses in 2018 are $200,000 for station improvements, including repairs to its roof and security systems along with enhancements to the resident firefighters' living quarters. The department proposes $57,300 for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) replacement air cylinders as the existing cylinders are set to expire in April.

Station improvements are part of one of Jenkins' goals for 2018 of revamping the resident and volunteer programs to help augment the department's current full-time complement.

He also hopes to reform a capital plan to replace outdated and unserviceable equipment, conduct a fire station analysis to assess facility degradation to maximize capital expenses and continue to improve emergency response times.

Police department

Cheney's police department has logged 26,539 call for service this year through October, averaging just shy of 2,654 calls per month. While that's a little behind last year's 2,714 per month, Police Chief John Hensley said he expects the yearly total to increase over 2018's total of 32,569.

One area of decrease so far has been in priority one - emergency - response time, which sits at 3 minutes, 30 seconds or 10 seconds better than the national average. Also down are statistics for crimes such as robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft which total 246 reports through October, as compared to 445 for all of 2016.

"I like to think it's due more to our proactive work and the help of our volunteers," Hensley said.

Accomplishments and projects in 2017 include focusing on reducing property crime and clearing investigations at a rate higher than the national average, working with the school district to add a school resource officer and director of safety and the recruiting of two reserve officers, one which has been hired with the other going through background checks. Hensley took pride in a chart showing "2017 Organizational Health Indicators (Morale)" figures with no citizen complaints, officer involved traffic accidents, lawsuits or employee grievances and very little use of force by officers in contacts that range between 40,000 – 45,000 annually.

"To me, this says we have a pretty healthy workforce," he added.

Personnel makes up most of the department's $3.147 million current expense fund budget. In 2018, the department is looking at $160,500 in levy lid lift uses - $105,000 for an officer hired in 2016 along with $16,000 for station maintenance, $15,000 for training support/ammunition and $12,000 for a new speed trailer.

Among goals for 2018 are replacing one police car and deployment of the two reserve officers in support of patrol staffing. The department is also seeking re-certification of its accreditation from the Washington Association of Sheriff's and Police Chiefs.

Hensley said one challenge is dealing with the possibility of five officers retiring in 2018. Department officials are working to create a pool of potential replacements it can draw from to undergo the selection process should a retirement occur.

"We can handle one," Hensley said of the retirements. "If more than two in a six-month period, we'd be in trouble."

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.