LAKEPORT, Calif. – Facing the potential loss of several officers in the coming year, Lakeport's police chief is going to the city council this week to ask to add another officer position temporarily while he gets new staff trained.
The Lakeport City Council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
Police Chief Brad Rasmussen is asking the council to authorize City Manager Margaret Silveira to budget for and hire a 12th sworn police officer position at an estimated cost of up to $90,603 – for salary and benefits – over a 15-month period, from March 15, 2016, to June 30, 2017.
The agency currently is budgeted for 11 full-time sworn positions and one part-time sworn position, Rasmussen reported.
Rasmussen said his department has been unable to realize the use of its 11 full positions due to issues with recruiting and medical leave of current staff.
Add to that, he's facing the loss of three officers this year, one of them in as soon as two months, so he's asking for the 12th position to “pre-fill those anticipated losses.”
Thanks to an extensive recruitment of officer trainees, Rasmussen said he now has a pool of at least six qualified individuals that could be hired and sent to the police academy.
He estimated that it could take up to one year – from the academy through field training – to get the new officers ready for service.
At the same time, he expects a fluctuation in staffing that would result in no significant impact to the overall budget from adding the extra position temporarily.
“The goal is not to permanently establish a 12th position, but to make sure we have trained staff to fill the anticipated vacancies. Any permanent requests would come back to Council at a later date,” Rasmussen wrote in his memo to the council.
Also on Tuesday, the council will hold its midyear budget review and quarterly financial update, and consider approving a budget amendment.
Two public hearings are planned – one to make updates to the zoning to improve transparency and streamline the processing of land use development permits and the second to hold a public hearing to adopt a mitigated negative declaration and a zone change for the AutoZone store project, slated to be built on Industrial Avenue.
Community Development Director Kevin Ingram will introduce an ordinance for a proposed zone change for the former Victorian Village property on S. Main Street, which the Lakeport Planning Commission approved in January.
Also on the agenda is a presentation by the Lake County Breastfeeding Coalition regarding the “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” campaign.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular Lakeport City Council meeting on Jan. 19; the warrant register for Jan. 21; and approval of Application No. 2016-03 with staff recommendations for the Lakeport Camp and Shine 2016 to be held on Park Street on June 18, 2016, in conjunction with the 2016 Annual Home Wine and Beer Makers Festival.
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Lakeport Police chief to ask city council for additional officer position on temporary basis
- Elizabeth Larson
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