Mayor's budget proposal: 5% raises, $1M for sidewalks, more civilians to handle 911 calls

Mayor John Hamilton wants to give most non-union employees 5% raises next year, add new positions to fix streets after utility work and hire more social workers to prop up the understaffed city police department.

While Hamilton’s budget for 2024 would increase potential spending by 1.4% over this year, to $131 million — excluding utilities and transit — he is proposing that the city spend an additional $20 million in one-time expenditures, using local revitalization funds and federal COVID relief dollars.

The proposed one-time expenditures:

• $5 million for housing for low-income and homeless services, workforce rental housing and support for homeownership.

• $2.7 million to improve traffic signals to better coordinate with public transit and safety vehicles.

• $2 million for street improvements focused on bike and bus routes.

• $1.5 million for job growth, economic development and climate-related projects.

• $1 million each for sidewalks; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging projects; public health, focusing on substance use disorder and mental health.

The city will get revenue increases of 4% in property taxes and slightly less than 4% in income taxes. Despite those increases, Hamilton’s budget would require the city to spend about $3.3 million more from its General Fund than it would collect in revenue. The General Fund is the city’s main operating fund that pays for such expenses as the police and fire departments.

Nonetheless, the Hamilton administration projects that its reserves will remain near 40% of government spending, or more than twice as much as recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association.

Fire department nears full staff while police department struggles

Hamilton’s proposal includes more than 20 new employees, including three paramedics for the fire department, $500 bonuses for most non-union employees, and extra pay for firefighters whose contract calls for a 2% raise but who would instead get a 5% raise.

Hamilton said the fire department recently hired 21 firefighters and is near full staff, but the city is continuing to deal with “persistent” staffing challenges at the police department, which, according to the police union, has 84 officers, or 21 fewer than budgeted.

While the positions for sworn police officers are not filled, Hamilton wants to use money for five of those positions to hire, at least temporarily, community service specialists who, under a pilot program, would respond to some 911 calls, such as welfare checks and noise complaints.

"We're going to try two pilot responses that will include one team that will be with a sworn officer, probably a downtown resource officer, ... plus one or two non-sworn, and this will be primarily on things like welfare checks," Hamilton said Monday morning in a budget preview for local media. "And the second approach will be without a sworn officer but with two non-sworn, like a community service specialist and paramedic or something like that."

The idea, Hamilton said, is to send non-sworn personnel to calls where police officers are unlikely to be needed, leaving sworn police officers with time to handle more serious situations.

The city's job descriptions for a community service specialist have included:

• High school diploma or equivalent

• Ability to communicate effectively with City residents utilizing written correspondence and verbal communication

• Basic knowledge of Indiana Traffic Code, Indiana Criminal Code, and Bloomington Municipal Code

• Knowledge of other City departments and the services they provide

• Strong conflict de-escalation strategies and problem solving skills

Police staffing has been a contentious issue among Hamilton, the police union and the city council, some members of which threatened to vote against the budget in 2021 for reasons including that Hamilton was not providing enough funding to adequately staff the police department.

'Open revolt:' Bloomington City Council threatens to reject mayor's budget plan

The city council this week is listening to budget presentations by department heads. The council's public hearing on the budget occurs in late September with approval in mid-October. Council members asked few questions of Hamilton on Monday, but proceedings likely will get more lively in the September/October meetings.

You can attend this week’s hearings daily at 5:30 p.m. at city hall or participate via Zoom at bton.in/06x6z.

You can read the entire budget proposal here: tinyurl.com/mr3xw34s.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington mayor seeks increased spending on sidewalks, social workers