The Lake City Police Department presented the first budget request for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) to update the officer’s current pistols, provide academy training for new officers, and more. Acting Chief of Police Stephen Hale has requested $6,000 from the city to replace the current 10-year-old pistols with a 40-millimeter chamber. Hale says that ammo is becoming hard to find and more expensive, as many departments, including the federal agency that assisted in creating this round, have stopped using it. By switching from a 40-millimeter to a nine-millimeter round, the department would save funding that could be utilized for training. Hale reported that it would be approximately $10,000 to send an officer to the Police Academy, which is down significantly. To help retain qualified officers, Hale proposed a wage-step program, with uncertified officers receiving a wage of $25 per hour, which increases to $27 when becoming certified. He also recommends increasing the wages after being on the force for a year after being certified to $28 per hour, increasing by one dollar per hour every year until the third year when it caps at $30 per hour. Hale also noted that the city pays for on-call time, with a proposed rate of $12 per hour starting in January 2025. A council member also recommended that the police department budget $10,000 for leadership training for Hale and a $10,000 moving stipend for future hired officers to assist with moving and living expenses if hired. No action was taken, but council members favored support for all of the proposals.
