Police overtime nears limit as chief seeks more funds
By R.A. WALKER - rwalker@sungazette.comFact Box
Mayor continues to tweak Central Business District
Mayor Gabriel J. Campana again wants to adjust the boundaries of the Central Business District.
City Council recently approved expanding the district east from Mulberry Street to Penn Street, but the mayor is suggesting it be enlarged "a little bit farther east" to the end of Chatham Street in the area of East End Lumber.
The expansion would be into an area from which residential structures have all but disappeared, and Campana said it makes sense to include it.
The mayor said his staff has notified council members that he soon will ask for their approval for the expansion. It is not on the council agenda Thursday night, however.
The mayor also said he plans to create another "citizens committee;" this one consisting of business people and focused on the Central Business District. The committee, he promised, will work with council as well as the administration.
During a Tuesday morning news briefing, Campana also said there "very soon" will be new developments in the YMCA arena and Church Street Transportation Center projects, but he added no new details.
With three months left in the year, the Bureau of Police has consumed most of its $300,000 overtime budget and is asking City Council to approve a $75,000 transfer to get the department through the rest of the year.
Police Chief Gregory Foresman told council's finance committee Tuesday the funds will come from money saved by eliminating the public safety director position and attributed the situation to the cost of keeping city streets safe.
He said there have been many "unseen costs" for overtime needed to cover officers receiving in-service training not budgeted by the prior administration but reinstated by the current one.
He also took a swipe at the former administration with a claim "they (put) more emphasis on saving money than keeping the city safe" and overtime costs included investigations and trial preparation related to crimes committed before the current administration took over.
William Nichols, director of administration, confirmed the potential year-end price tag for 2009 overtime and unused police "comp time" reimbursement could exceed $400,000.
The finance committee referred the transfer request to the full council for action Thursday night.
Also on the council agenda is the addition of a new police officer to replace veteran Agent William Weber, who retired to become chief county detective in August.
The new officer is Justin Ottaviano, who has experience with the DuBoistown and Porter Township police departments.
A second officer originally was to have been requested by Mayor Gabriel J. Campana, but the mayor said the candidate withdrew her name from consideration Tuesday morning. Campana said the second hire would have made it possible to assign a veteran officer as a fourth community police officer.
