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budget and redirect some of those resources towards things that will actually support the most vulnerable, the most at-risk in our community.” Most of the council spoke in favor of buoying the police department further—it has been the most supported in the past six years, growing by 14 1/2 positions since 2013 (five grant-funded), according to City Manager Mark Orme. Huber defended the council’s position to expand the police force, saying that with the increased population of Chico, “we need a level of protection out there that meets the level of crime.” Councilwoman Ann Schwab added that it’s “very significant” the city has established the unit, and Orme praised the council for its desire to see that to fruition. Ory, the only critic, said he came close to voting nay because the budget is “not truly balanced” if the city is taking $350,000 per year from its $800,000 waste hauling franchise agreement to fund an expansion in the police department. Orme replied that “candidly, if we had any other options, I would use them.” “I think we gave the public the illusion we can staff with our existing budget,” Ory added. “We can’t continue to steal from one department to fund another.” During the budget discussion, Orme mentioned other highlights, such as the addition of a firefighter, which previously were reported in the CN&R. What was new Tuesday was the decision to modify the budget to hire an additional full-time code enforcement officer, rather than a part-timer. Ory made a point to inquire “hypothetically” as to how the city would pay for an expensive special election, clearly a reference to the recall effort underway for his and Mayor Randall Stone’s seats. Orme responded that it’d “most likely” come from city reserves. After the meeting, City Clerk Debbie Presson confirmed that the proposed recall petition was submitted on Tuesday, and said she will work with the City Attorney’s Office over the next 10 days to ensure its legal compliance before it can be circulated. Also of note, the council decided to abandon its previous decision to set an earlier meeting start time. —AshiAh schArAgA ash ia h s@ newsr ev iew.c o m
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CN&R
June 6, 2019