There could be 78 Manteca police officers when July 1 rolls around instead of the current 75.

Whether that happens depends upon where Manteca stands financially when the City Council conducts its mid-year budget review in the coming weeks.

Back in June when the council approved the current budget, it did so with the stipulation three firefighters, a police lieutenant and two police officers would be funded providing the mid-year budget review showed there was adequate Measure M public safety tax receipts to fund the six positions.

Tonight, the first official action queuing up a decision on whether Manteca’s frontline public safety personnel will indeed be expanded occurs with the council being asked to approve a midyear budget update.

The City Council is being asked to authorize staff budget adjustment requests based on revenue, expenditure, and Capital Improvement Projects performance and trends.  

The updated budget for public safety tax receipts shows a $270,000 increase in Measure M revenue from when the city’s spending plan was adopted to $10,512,029.

The staff report doesn’t make mention of the public safety positions funded by Measure M specifically. That discussion may be held until the upcoming budget review and goals setting workshop the meeting council has in the fiirst few months of every year.

Staff, in the current budget, authorized using the general fund to hire an entry level police officer which the city is doing. That brings the sworn officer staffing in the police department to 75.

The only increase staffing in what the council is being asked to approve tonight is to add additional hours to a parttime kennel helper at the animal shelter plus add an accounting manager position for the finance department.

Staff is asking for a budget adjustment that reflects personnel expenditures being reduced by $1,033,266 to a total of $83,875,224.

Part of that savings — $189,713 — was for a real property manager that was requested by Miranda Lutzow who was the city manager a few years back.

Lutzow argued the position was essential given the city’s size.

In the midyear budget update being advanced by Interim City Manager Toni Lundgren, the position is being removed as current staff has determined it is not needed.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwhatt@mantecabulletin.com