By Clarence Cromwell
The Town Council last week made a list of $441,100 in cuts that could be chopped from the 1996-97 budget to offset road work needed before town streets decay beyond repair.
The bulk of the cuts--$226,200-- would come from public protection, by laying off a $76,200-a-year police detective, two rangers at $55,000 each and a $40,000 police records clerk.
The Town Council must cut at least $288,000 from the budget to pay for repairs, delayed since 1990, on decrepit roads. The council planned to raise $800,000 a year to help fund the repairs by passing a five-year utility users tax, but voters rejected it at the polls March 26.
Last week's meeting allowed councilmembers to take testimony and make tentative decisions before making the cuts. The budget will be adopted following one more public hearing June 17.
More than 100 people attended the hearing. Public testimony on the Los Gatos Police Department cuts was heated.
The department drew fire from residents--including former councilmember Egon Jensen--who call it a sacred cow. The department has accounted for about 40 percent of the town budget in recent years, mainly because the town officials believe a high level of police protection is important to residents.Jensen brought to the meeting a thick report comparing the town's expenditures on police and libraries to that of other towns. Based on state reports, Jensen said, Los Gatos spends a third more on police protection than other cities of comparable size, but it spends less, compared to many of the same cities, on its library.
"Please take a look and make sure we get the most for our tax dollar," Jensen said.
Bill Quigley, a former community services commissioner, urged the council to cut the entire police department and sign a contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department for police services.
Town Manager David Knapp said, "If you want the lower service level, fine, we can deliver that," claiming residents don't want the lower level of service Knapp believes the sheriff's department would deliver.
The department was praised by residents and public officials who feared that cuts will invite gangs and more crime into town.
High School Principal Ted Simonson asked the council not to cut the police officer assigned to the high school or any other police department jobs. He was joined by a handful of other school employees and students.
But the council accepted the proposed police cuts with almost no discussion.
The proposed budget reduces the department's slice of the pie from $5.42 million to $5.41 million.
The impact on police is actually more dramatic than the figures indicate because $128,000 in police costs--including vehicle maintenance--that previously were listed in other department budgets now show up in the new police budget.
Despite Park Ranger Dave Gray's appeal to the council not to cut his job, councilmembers agreed to let him go, and some of them want to get rid of the town's only other ranger as well.
The town would save $55,000 for each ranger.
Councilmember Joanne Benjamin dissented over cutting even one ranger. She said the cut would create more work for police officers, who earn higher wages, and would thereby cost the town more in the end.
Councilmember Linda Lubeck, however, said the entire ranger program should be phased out because the town's two rangers haven't been as extensively trained as police officers, although they provide law enforcement in the parks. "The only way I see to do it is to cut the second ranger or cut another police officer," Lubeck said. "I'd rather cut a ranger than a police officer."
Lubeck said she's also concerned that rangers are a liability to the town because they may be called to an emergency situation they can't handle. Councilmember Patrick O'Laughlin agreed.
Councilmember Steve Blanton, however, argued: "It doesn't make sense to say that since the job description is inaccurate, we should get rid of [the rangers]," Blanton said. He added that a recent move to let police sergeants, rather than maintenance managers, supervise rangers has probably solved any liability problem.
The council also will consider saving KCAT--the local cable channel run by high school students--by alloting it $31,500, half what the program cost this year. Councilmembers said they didn't want to eliminate the program as the town staff suggested.
The council also decided to limit library-hour cuts to another half-day. Their budget proposes to close the library all day Friday, but they'll reopen it Thursday morning to reduce the time lost. The council also agreed to close the library the week before Christmas.
The cuts under consideration also include the following:
* $56,000, by eliminating a vacant legal secretary position;
* $7,000, reducing Town Council medical benefits;
* $40,000, replacing a retiring senior planner with an entry-level planner;
* $5,450, reducing funding for the arts program;
* $2,450, reducing funding to human services programs.
The council is scheduled to make final decisions on the operating budget at its June 17 meeting, after taking testimony from the public. The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. in the Civic Center council chambers, 110 East Main St.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, June 5, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved