Countryman requests more money for personnel, vehicles at city budget hearing

Marshal Greg Countryman, one of four elected officials to sue the city over funding issues in recent years, appeared at a city budget hearing Tuesday afternoon to request additional funds for fiscal year 2018.

Countryman made his pitch a week after Mayor Teresa Tomlinson released a $268 million recommended budget that would allot his department $1.4 million, a 1.4 percent decrease from last year’s adopted budget.

On Tuesday, the marshal said he and Columbus Council have had their differences, but he hoped they could work together to benefit local citizens.

“As you know, I have a passion for what I do and those I represent,” he said, pointing out the dangers of the job and the need for more resources. “ ... In the Marshal’s Office, we don’t have a large number of deputies working; if someone calls in sick, or there’s training, vacation, it cripples our operation.”

Countryman said the city has reduced his budget every year since 2014. He requested the city fund three positions defunded in FY2016 and replace eight vehicles that have exceeded 100,000 miles and the city’s vehicle-age requirements. He also asked for an adjustment to the training, uniform and gas budget line items.

“The Columbus Consolidated Government, the protocol they’ve always followed for turning in vehicles is seven years or 100,000 miles,” he said. “ ... We have vehicles that we have to jump off of on a regular basis. We have vehicles that are squeaking, and we’ve had to change out two engines; we’ve had to change out transmissions. And the older and older those cars get, the more wear is put on those vehicles, it costs us more and eats up our automotive parts budget.”

Several councilors seemed sympathetic to his plight. Councilor Walker Garrett recommended that council add two pursuit vehicles with technology packages and one deputy to the budget add/delete list for consideration. Councilor Bruce Huff agreed.

“It’s not a good look for the second largest city (in Georgia) to have their marshal department jumping off cars and cannibalizing other cars in order to do their core mission,” he said.

Finance Director Angelica Alexander said OLOST funds are expected to decline this year due to a projected decrease in revenue, which has affected recommended allocations to public safety departments.

Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge said the recommended OLOST Public Safety Capital for FY2018 is $1,075, 404. The marshal requested $10,000 for equipment, $10,000 for ammunition, and $2,200 for license plate renewal. In the mayor’s recommended budget, he would receive only the $2,200.

Councilor Judy Thomas said she is one of the people who put the OLOST program together, and 70 percent of the money collected was supposed to go to public safety and 30 percent to roads and infrastructure.

She said the city may have to make some spending changes to support public safety, even if it means reducing the city’s crime prevention budget from $750,000 to $100,000, a suggestion that received a loud applause from the audience.

“When any public safety department comes to us and says, ‘If I don’t have the proper equipment for the people who are doing the job in my department, we are facing a safety issue,’ and I think that’s what the Marshal is trying to say to us,” she said. “So whatever it takes to rearrange the money that’s left over after we handle the personnel, then that’s what we have to do, because we can’t put our people on the street in unsafe vehicles. We can’t do that.”

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Countryman requests more money for personnel, vehicles at city budget hearing."