What Boise’s mayor proposes in next year’s budget amid ‘defund police’ movement
CORRECTION: The city of Boise is considering replacing the Capitol Campus apartment complex, across Capitol Boulevard from Boise State University, with new affordable housing. An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the building.
The Boise Police Department would receive a significant boost in personnel under the 2021-22 budget proposed by Mayor Lauren McLean.
While some cities nationwide have talked about defunding the police or slashing budgets, the Boise Police Department would add 11 sworn officers, three sworn training instructors, an evidence analyst, a civilian investigator and an IT consultant on a one-year contract.
The increases would leave the department with 332 sworn officer positions, and 91 non-sworn positions, Eric Bilimoria, a senior budget manager for the Boise Department of Finance and Administration, said by email.
And the director of the new independent Office of Police Accountability, which the city is looking to fill, will be a full-time employee rather than the half-time position previously budgeted under an office overseen by the mayor.
Overall, McLean proposes a $276.2 million general fund budget for the year starting Oct. 1, up $37.6 million, or 15.7%, from the current budget. The city plans to carry over $17.4 million from the current budget. With that added money, the proposed budget is 8.5% higher than the 2020-21 adopted budget.
Most of the $20.2 million in added revenue is expected to come from property and sales taxes and development fees.
“As Boise continues to grow, we know the top priorities of our community are housing, climate, transportation, economic development, and public safety,” McLean said in her budget message.
Demand on city services has reached record highs, she said.
“This budget meets our goals of ensuring we can continue to provide the services our residents rely on and invest in smart solutions to meet the needs of our growing city,” McLean wrote.
Although the coronavirus pandemic has not ended, the proposed budget reflects an assumption that economic conditions will continue to improve through the new fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2022.
Unemployment in Boise went from 2.3% in February 2020, a month before the pandemic began, to 12.8% in April 2020. It decreased to 3.9% in December and to 3.1% in April. Full employment is considered 4%, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.
A new law limiting property tax collections tied to growth will cost Boise an estimated $700,000, Bilimoria, said.
“The new state property tax law reduces the amount of taxes that can be collected as growth (new construction) occurs,” Bilimoria said. “Rather than being able to assess taxes for 100% of the value of growth, only 90% can be collected. This reduces the ability of municipalities to maintain service levels when growth occurs.”
The city expects collections to total $7.5 million less over the next five years than if the law had not been passed this year by the Idaho Legislature, he said.
“This means that other funding sources need to be identified as new services come online when growth occurs,” he said. “Or, existing services need to be stretched to support growth-related costs.”
State law allows cities, counties and other local taxing districts to boost the portion of their revenue that they collect from property taxes up to 3% per year without voter approval. Boise is proposing to collect the full amount.
That will cost the average Boise homeowner an extra $42 a year, Bilimoria said. But the average property tax bill could increase from an average $1,122 to $1,457, up $335, he said.
“While $42 of that increase would be the result of the 3% increase, the other $293 increase can be attributed to a variety of factors, including the expiration of one-time relief that was made available to the city (from the state via the federal government), the diminishing value of the homeowner’s exemption (even with the increase that the Legislature approved this past session), and the rate of growth for residential properties vs. commercial properties,” he said via email.
More police patrols, crime investigators
In recent years, the Boise Police Department moved resources to provide more patrol services in response to dispatch calls at the expense of investigating crimes, the city said in the budget document.
The proposed budget addresses staffing needs for both patrol and non-patrol services.
Still, the city has slowly beefed up its police force over the past three years. Seven new patrol officers were added in 2019, followed by five each in 2020 and this year. Five more patrol officers are proposed in McLean’s proposed budget.
Two additional officers are proposed for the Neighborhood Contact Officer Unit. The city recently divided the city into 11 geographical districts, two more than in the past. It had maintained one neighborhood contact officer per district. The added officers would restore the unit to one officer per district.
McLean also proposes adding two officers to an intelligence detail, an officer to the department’s narcotics division, and a motorcycle officer.
Added training instructors would allow Boise Police to offer a third 21-week recruit academy that would serve 12 entry-level recruits. The budget proposes to spend $612,873 to conduct the extra academy training session.
Twenty-seven cents of every dollar of general fund revenue goes to the Police Department, the largest share, according to the city. The Boise Fire Department receives 19.9 cents, while the Parks and Recreation Department receives 11.8 cents. The library receives 5.4 cents, and Public Works receives 2.8 cents.
The Office of Police Accountability will replace the former Office of Police Oversight and have a larger public profile. The former office’s leader, Natalie Camacho Mendoza resigned May 31. She had worked on a half-time basis.
“The new office can increase its focus related to independent review, police standards, accountability, protocols, and training,” the budget said.
The Office of Police Oversight performed well, the budget document said, but the city’s growth and police accountability are becoming more important following several national incidents.
“The new office will benefit both the public and BPD, providing more transparency, communication and training,” the document said.
City workers to get raises
Unlike 2021, when city employees were not given raises, the proposed budget provides for 2% raises. There is also money provided for merit raises and for market-rate adjustments.
Personnel expenses account for $177.4 million of general fund expenses, 64.2%. That represents a $10.8 million increase over 2021 and reflects 37.6 new general fund positions.
The city says it plans to continue to look for opportunities to provide affordable housing. The city:
▪ Previously announced it intends to move a parks maintenance shop out of Julia Davis Park and use the space for housing.
▪ Is considering building housing in a parking lot next to downtown Fire Station No. 5, when that building, built in 1951, is replaced.
▪ Is also considering replacing the Capitol Campus apartment building at 1025 S. Capitol Boulevard. It’s a series of two-story buildings across the street from Boise State University.
▪
“Although many of these alternatives are still being evaluated, the city expects to invest over $20.0 million to address affordable housing in the coming years,” the budget document said.
Other highlights:
Rent aid for homeless people: The proposed budget provides $100,000 for the Linda Fund that provides the first month’s rent and a security deposit for homeless people able to stabilize their situation through short-term support. The program helped 88 families get into permanent housing in the past year at an average cost of $1,000 per family.
Park improvements: In its 10-year plan, the Parks and Recreation Department expects to spend $18.3 million across town between 2023 and 2026. Among the projects planned are added amenities at Magnolia and Mariposa parks, pool replacements, additions at the Optimist Youth Sports Complex, 9889 W. Hill Road Parkway, Boise Greenbelt connectivity projects, and right-of-way improvements.
The department is identifying suitable locations for a maintenance shop. Construction is expected to begin in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Have your say
The Boise City Council will hold a budget workshop at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 22. The council will hold a public hearing on the budget at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 20.
Both meetings will be held in the council chambers at City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
