Under New Business 12-B, is the Law Services Agreement with PBSO. We went through the budget cycle and the budget that was finally approved had a total cost figure of $15,057,583. That's the cost for policing out of a total operating budget of $29.516 mil. Tonight there will be a 4th Amendment action item involving policing effective for FY 2013/2014 and FY 2014/2015.
The Sheriff’s Office had originally proposed a 2% increase ($242,000) this year and a 3% ($370,000) for next year. The city says that after several negotiating sessions with the Mayor, City Attorney and City Manager, the Sheriff agreed to NO increase for the next 2 fiscal years.
We also engage the Sheriff for six special events throughout the year along with requests to have one or more at commission meetings or board meetings which is an extra cost. In order to meet FODT standards, crossing guards have been increased from 10 part-time to 22 part-time. We are told that there are 5 vehicles patrolling and on call at all times.
Photo by Lake Worth Sun
- $2,791,353 of Police pension costs for the former Police Department employees
- $161,240 of utility and maintenance costs on the Police Building (which the City agreed to pay in the original contract)
- $5,000 additional to the Sheriff for enforcing local ordinances. (Need detail)
We pay $1,008,833 a month for PBSO and no matter how you slice this cake, policing really costs us $1,254,799 a month and $114,073 a year (which includes the 22 part-time crossing guards) for each PBSO person assigned to Lake Worth. The question is, for all that money and the uncontrollable costs that take 69.49% of our operating budget, do you feel safer? Are we making a dent in crime?
6 comments:
I have to say I seldom see a cop unless he is parked at the beach or arrives after a crime has been committed.
You tried this argument already and that's part of the reason Stanton got fired. Most people are complacent in Lake Worth but when Stanton, Mulvehill, Golden and the rest tried to get rid of PBSO the "PEOPLE" came out in droves, you lost the argument, you lost the elections Stanton lost her job because of it. You can keep beating a dead horse but you're one of the few that are concerned about PBSO.
Dirty dozen envy again?
I don't "envy' anyone. Only giving the facts here, unlike you.
I'm quite happy with the service we receive from the SO. Like you, I'm concerned with the cost.
Why can they provide the same service services to Belle Glade at a fraction of the cost?
Someone once said, that if we just did nothing, non-approve the contract, that the Sheriff would still have to give us service.
The HUGE area just West of our city from Southern Blvd to Atlantic Ave out to 441 in Delray Beach is patrolled by two deputies.
So having 5 patrolling and in service is quite good.
It was the pensions that put our own police force out of business here. It was unsustainable.
everyone should be very concerned about costs, anony at 2:41 unless you are brain dead.
I was all for PBSO originally and they did put on a good show the first couple of years, but they have vanished. I never see patrols, calls to non-e/r number do not get a response, and as for enforcement of local ordinances every time I have called about parking or blocked alley (what I would call enforcement of local ords) neither the operator or the patrol person (if they show up) will do anything about these ordinance violations. Said another way, PBSO doesn't enforce local ordinances although I wish they would as parking enforcement can be a major issue in many neighborhoods.
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