Package Calls for 9 More Police Officers, No Cuts : 11% Boost Proposed for Fullerton Budget

Fullerton City Manager William C. Winter on Tuesday proposed a 1988-89 budget that depicts a rosy fiscal outlook for the city, with no cuts in city services or personnel and the addition of nine new police officers.

The $65.5-million package represents an 11% increase over the previous year’s $59-million budget, with added resources fueled by increased sales and property tax revenue.

In addition, the city is anticipating an end-of-the-year surplus of more than $10 million, following the trend of the 1987-88 budget, which will leave a balance of more than $18 million.

“We’re very pleased with what this budget represents,” Winter said. “What we’ve got is a balanced budget with the addition of enough revenues left over that we can reinstate some of the cuts and attend to some of the needs that have occurred since Prop. 13.”

Among the the more important needs outlined in the budget are the addition of 15 new police personnel, including nine patrol officers, whose postions are directly related to “growth and development in the city,” not to increased crime rates or complaints from residents, according to Winter.

Besides the patrol officers, the budget would add five dispatchers and a senior administrative assistant. The additions will free up enough personnel to return the equivalent of 14 officers to field duty, Winter said.

Included in Fire Department appropriations is the recommended addition of one administrative position and a $6,000 study to determine whether underground fuel tanks at three fire stations and one police station are leaking.

“It’s an investigation, a pro-active thing we’re doing,” Winter said. “There is no indication that there is any leaking.”

Fullerton Municipal Airport is anticipating 1988-89 revenue of $951,000, an increase of $202,000 over the current year, attributable to the completion of a 56-unit hanger complex expected to increase in rental revenue.

The capital projects budget includes $5.1 million for major renovations to the police building, Fire Department headquarters and the city’s maintenance yard.

The city’s major revenue source, sales taxes, is projected at $14 million, an 8% increase over 1987-88, while property taxes are expected to contribute another $11 million, a 7% increase. In addition, the Development Services Department estimates about $1.6 million will be generated in building fees, a 12.5% increase over the current year.

The city has tentatively scheduled budget hearings to start June 13.