Next Year's Police Budget Discussed

At the last Budget Committee meeting, Chief Bill Press said he needed 5 new officers to adequately patrol Fairhope's unusually large jurisdiction (88 sq. miles); but would settle for only one due to tight city finances. An alternate proposal has been made to reduce the jurisdiction's size.
These committees are only advisory, the city council has ultimate authority.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think that the city should drop the three-mile jurisdiction zone around the city limits, just as Foley did in 2007. As far as I can tell, it's just extra space for them to disappear into. And, of course, use as speed traps, especially on the south side of town.

I want to see a stronger presence on Greeno, dealing with speeders, running red lights, and doing something about enforcing the noise ordinance. I am OVER the growing number of bass-thumping vehicles in town, especially between 10pm & 2am.
Anonymous said…
Just to clarify: a major reason Foley dropped their ETJ in 2007 was because of a serious issue with FEMA and their lack of enforcement of building code/ floodplain regulations in the ETJ.

Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I am pretty sure Fairhope gets a percentage of tax from businesses in the PJ as well as building permit fees. If they pull back to the City Limits I think they would lose any revenue from the area as well. They may decide the additional revenue isn't worth the cost or the hassle, but it's something they need to consider.
Anonymous said…
there is no way the city of fairhope will give up the tax revenue of the grand hotel. and wal-mart for that matter. lost several officers, need to loose a few more and then start rebuilding
Anonymous said…
they dont enforce traffic laws in the big city. looks like thats what Press and Kingrea are doing here. Kingre'a said publicly he likes to drive fast. Not the best choice for Traffic Committee Chairman maybe.
Anonymous said…
the chief appears to be our new parking patrol expert. trouble is he doesn't give out tickets but instead spots an illegal parker and call an officer off another duty to write the ticket.