Rocky seeking 90 more officers

Councilman Carlton Christensen said he would like to see the data behind Anderson's call for more officers. All council members are concerned the police department relies too heavily on overtime and doesn't fill its existing allotment of officer allocations — a move the department says is a cost-saving measure.

Councilwoman Nancy Saxton said the department may be getting too top-heavy.

"There's a lot of chiefs and not enough warriors," she said.

Along with a new commitment to police, Anderson's budget includes a couple of controversial proposals he has suggested before but failed to implement.

Anderson again wants to pull the city's $100,000 yearly financial support to the Utah League of Cities and Towns.

Along with that move, the mayor also is looking to yank the city's $107,000 yearly contribution to the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.

The mayor is also reviving his proposal to increase the price citizens pay to park at the city's parking meters — from 75 cents an hour to $1.

The parking proposal surprised some since Anderson has said he wants the city to examine the feasibility of eliminating parking meters downtown. That study hasn't taken place yet, but the mayor's office maintains the idea isn't dead.

On the whole, the city's budget outlook is rosy. After facing some lean years following the 2002 Winter Games, the city's general fund has reached a record level — $170.2 million, $2.1 million more than it was in the 2001-02 fiscal year. In fact, this year's general fund — which pays for police, fire, parks and many other city services — is $4.5 million more than last year.

And while all three of the city's major revenue sources — the property tax, sales tax and franchise tax — are up, Anderson said those increases are not enough to fund a growing city government.

"While revenue is up modestly, the increase will not be sufficient to meet the costs of maintaining our current service level," Anderson's budget proposal says.

Besides the new officers, Anderson's budget includes roughly 23 new positions, including a new downtown business ombudsman to help coordinate efforts related to the redevelopment of the LDS Church's two downtown malls.

Anderson's budget also cuts three police department positions, including a white collar crime detective, and 14 positions in the Public Services Department. Nine of the latter formerly worked at Franklin Covey Field. With Larry H. Miller's purchase of the Salt Lake Stingers baseball team, the baseball club is expected to take over much of the maintenance and upkeep of the field.

Burial fees at the Salt Lake City Cemetery for non-Salt Lake City residents would also increase from $600 a plot to $875 a plot over two years. Fees for planning and zoning services would also go up under the proposed budget.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com