2008 Woodie Awards
Boosted police funding approved
Brady Holt
Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: News
The city of College Park's final approved budget includes doubled police spending and higher taxes, after dozens of residents spoke out against a last-minute plan to cut those items.
The city council passed the $12 million budget last Tuesday after an unusually close 5-3 vote. District 2 Councilman Jack Perry and District 4 Councilwomen Mary Cook and Karen Hampton opposed the bill's passage. The assembled crowd burst into applause as the budget passed.
Earlier, an amendment to cut the extra $500,000 in police spending and $60 a person in increased taxes failed after a 5-3 vote failed along the same lines.
Hampton first proposed cutting the police expansion a little more than a week before the council's deadline for approving a budget.
More than 30 people, including several students and student leaders, lined up to speak at the council meeting. The overwhelming majority of them supported the police spending.
"I think one thing that I've seen throughout my going around the city is that there's one thing that everyone agrees on: that safety is a priority, that police is a priority," former Student Government Association President Andrew Friedson said at the council meeting. "It's a basic quality of life: safety."
The extra half-million dollars will allow the city to hire three additional Prince George's County Police officers who will patrol only College Park rather than an entire police district, which includes many communities. The city already contracts with several county officers, which residents say has been successful.
Former District 1 Councilman John Krouse said cutting the program would eliminate a successful program in order to save $50 to $70.
"That's absurd," he said. "Anyone who proposes this ought to have their head examined."
Cook said several times during the meeting that she thought some people might have been confused about what she and Hampton supported; they did not want to eliminate the city's contract police program; they just did not want to expand it this year.
The city council passed the $12 million budget last Tuesday after an unusually close 5-3 vote. District 2 Councilman Jack Perry and District 4 Councilwomen Mary Cook and Karen Hampton opposed the bill's passage. The assembled crowd burst into applause as the budget passed.
Earlier, an amendment to cut the extra $500,000 in police spending and $60 a person in increased taxes failed after a 5-3 vote failed along the same lines.
Hampton first proposed cutting the police expansion a little more than a week before the council's deadline for approving a budget.
More than 30 people, including several students and student leaders, lined up to speak at the council meeting. The overwhelming majority of them supported the police spending.
"I think one thing that I've seen throughout my going around the city is that there's one thing that everyone agrees on: that safety is a priority, that police is a priority," former Student Government Association President Andrew Friedson said at the council meeting. "It's a basic quality of life: safety."
The extra half-million dollars will allow the city to hire three additional Prince George's County Police officers who will patrol only College Park rather than an entire police district, which includes many communities. The city already contracts with several county officers, which residents say has been successful.
Former District 1 Councilman John Krouse said cutting the program would eliminate a successful program in order to save $50 to $70.
"That's absurd," he said. "Anyone who proposes this ought to have their head examined."
Cook said several times during the meeting that she thought some people might have been confused about what she and Hampton supported; they did not want to eliminate the city's contract police program; they just did not want to expand it this year.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 15
Taxpayer
posted 6/05/08 @ 9:48 AM EST
Thanks mayor for the tax increase. I guess it would be impossible to find things in the budget to cut to pay for your extra police support? Typical gov spending more without ever considering cutting back. (Continued…)
jimbo
posted 6/05/08 @ 7:42 PM EST
"Taxpayer", if you truly do live in CP (as I do) then you know that our taxes are really fairly low. The county is unable to significantly raise taxes due to TRIM, which I support btw, they would just waste it. (Continued…)
CB
posted 6/06/08 @ 1:17 PM EST
A $50 to $70 increase is cheap for the city's contract police program. If CP had its own police force your tax increase would be 50%. We all want more/better police protection so choose which one you want. (Continued…)
Taxpayer
posted 6/06/08 @ 1:32 PM EST
With the recent home price spike where did those extra property taxes go? Its easy to say "its only an extra $60" but taxes have been rasied alot more then $60/year. (Continued…)
Sam P
posted 6/06/08 @ 6:18 PM EST
Thank you city council!! We need a larger police presence.
Bob Catlin
posted 6/06/08 @ 8:47 PM EST
Colleege Park did not collect much of the "extra property taxes" that are referred to above. In 2004 the City's Homestead Tax credit level was slashed to 1 percent from 10 percent. (Continued…)
Bob Catlin
posted 6/07/08 @ 6:04 PM EST
Over the past 20 years a typical College Park homeowner has had his/her property taxes increase by about 80% to about $450-$650 for most homes. Absent the taxes used to finance expanded county policing (one million dollars in FY2009) the increase would have been just about 50 percent. (Continued…)
jimbo
posted 6/11/08 @ 10:30 PM EST
Mr Catlin is likely referring to the city portion of your tax bill.
Your bill is up probably because it was reassessed, not because of any RATE increase. (Continued…)
Taxpayer
posted 6/12/08 @ 10:04 AM EST
So when your property is reassessed and your taxes increase where does that money go? I wonder if all of the residents think they are now receiving 50% more services over the past 3 years. (Continued…)
Bob Catlin
posted 6/12/08 @ 10:08 AM EST
The City's portion of your tax bill is only about 15 percent of the total tax bill. Your 2008 tax bill will likely rise to about $5,000. The Park & Planning portion of your tax bill has doubled in the last four years to almost $1,000 and will go up about another $200 next year, too. (Continued…)
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