Toledo mayor suspends plan for new police recruits

Mayor Mike Bell on Friday suspended his plan to recruit new police officers this year because of the city's budget problems.

"Given the uncertainty for approval of certain measures designed to balance the 2010 budget, I have ordered recruitment for the police class to be suspended effective immediately," Mr. Bell wrote to Toledo City Council.

"Upon approval of a balanced budget by March 31st, I will then reconsider resuming the recruitment process," the letter said.

The new police officers, for whom Mr. Bell canceled recruitment, would not have started training until 2011. A new class of police officers slated to begin this year is also in jeopardy should the mayor layoff current police officers to help balance the budget.

Last month, the Bell administration said it would seek to add new officers in 2010 despite a projected $48 million general fund budget deficit.

Also on Friday, Dan Wagner, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association, and Wayne Hartford, president of Toledo Firefighters Local 92, held a news conference and said they were both still willing to meet with Mr. Bell regarding his requests.

The Bell administration and the union presidents have offered conflicting reports about the other side's willingness and availability to meet regarding Mr. Bell's request for concessions.

Mayor Bell's plan to fix the budget includes controversial items, including an 8 percent sports-and-event tax, a hike of the monthly trash fee to $15, forced concessions from city unions, and a plan to eliminate the income tax credit for Toledoans who work outside the city.

In recent days, several councilmen and city union leaders have expressed opposition to some of the revenue proposals in the mayor's plan.

New police hires were seen as necessary to help deal with the loss of about 75 officers expected to retire from the force by the end of 2011.

Without additions to the force, Toledo police could forfeit the $7.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's COPS Hiring Recovery Program that allowed the city to rehire officers that former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner laid off last year.

Hiring new police officers in September would cost the city about $660,000 next year, according to an estimate from the Bell administration.

After his conference, Mr. Wagner acknowledged that he had been informed the planned class was suspended.