‘We can’t keep doing this’

Pelican Bay city officials are scrambling to close a hefty gap in the city’s budget after discovering the police department has exceeded its payroll budget this fiscal year.

According to Mayor Tamra Olague, the police department’s payroll increased from approximately $385,000 last year to $587,000 this year — an increase of more than $200,000.

“This is his (Police Chief Brad Anderson’s) current staff,” Olague told city council members during a regular meeting July 14. “This is not an ask. This is what we're paying. I have no choice — but now I've got to come up with the money.”

Olague explained that part of the payroll increase is because one position in the department was partially funded by a grant that has expired, leaving the city with a full $64,000 salary to cover on its own. The remaining increases stem from the department replacing part-time officers with full-time employees, adding up to a combined salary increase of $136,000.

“They’re $200,000 over budget — $203,000 to be exact,” Olague said. “So, this mayor has been in a panic zone for a week and a half trying to figure this out.”

While the outlook seemed bleak at first, Olague said she was able to take $92,000 in American Rescue Plan Act reimbursements and carry those funds forward as a prior-year fund balance. This move, she said, successfully reduced the city's projected budget shortfall from about $139,000 to roughly $40,000.

“I’ve got us all the way down to where we’re only $40,000 short, and I’ve cut no services — none,” Olague said.

In light of the $200,000 budget overage, Olague said she also plans to talk with Anderson about placing a cap on employee salaries.

“All of his officers get a 3% increase, which is an equivalent of $2,500 each year,” she said. “I cannot just keep giving them $2,500 until the end of time. There has to be a cap at some point … If the money’s not there, it’s just not there.”

Olague said Pelican Bay’s general fund is currently projected at $1.149 million, with the police department accounting for more than 75% of that total.

“Last year, his (Anderson’s) entire budget was $690,365. This year, it’s $870,979. We have $1.149 million and $870,000 of it is going over there,” she said, emphasizing that it leaves very little in the budget for the rest of the city’s operations.

While Anderson has not allocated a raise for himself in several years, Place 2 Alderman Sara Gashi said it is his responsibility to budget for all positions and salaries — not just his own.

“He should have budgeted because he knew the grants were ending,” Gashi said. “He knows it, so he should have been looking proactively.”

With both residents and city council pushing for a full-time police department, Olague said it’s imperative that Anderson find a way to achieve that goal without hiring more staff.

“He has five full-time officers and two part-time officers,” Olague said. “Maybe we need to change their schedule back to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, eight-hour shifts … because the way that they’re working now with (four 10-hour shifts), they have three days of no one being covered — we can’t do that.”

Olague said she intends to have a “come to Jesus” talk with Anderson over the next couple of weeks as they try to come up with a better schedule to allow for 24/7 police protection.

“He is $30,000 away from a $900,000 budget — out of $1.149 million. I'm not cool with that. I'm nowhere near cool with that,” Olague said. “We've got to make a decision … We can't keep doing this.”

Pelican Bay City Council will hold a budget workshop during a special meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 28, at Pelican Bay City Hall, 1300 Pelican Circle.