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Wilmore unsure on SRO vote

May 09, 2007|Katheran Wasson

With the task of creating a budget looming, Wilmore city leaders haven't decided if they can support financially a school resource officer program in Jessamine County middle and high schools, Mayor Harold Rainwater said Monday.

"You're throwing us a curve this late in the (fiscal) year," he told Superintendent Lu Young, Nicholasville Mayor Russ Meyer and Maj. John Branscum of the Nicholasville Police Department after they requested a potential $50,000 from the city council.

"I'm not sure how we're going to respond to it, but I strongly support it (the SRO program)."

East and West Jessamine High Schools will be staffed with full-time police officers in August, and East and West Jessamine Middle schools should have officers by January.

None of the participating schools are located in Wilmore, but Young said 21 percent of Jessamine students have Wilmore mailing addresses. The $50,000 proposed is approximately 20 percent of the program's first-year budget of $258,800.

"You should've been involved from the very beginning, and I apologize for that," Young said.

Even without a check from Wilmore, the program will be fully funded in its first year. The Nicholasville City Commission, Jessamine County Fiscal Court and Jessamine County Board of Education have each committed up to $86,667 for the 2007-2008 school year. The cost includes salary and benefits, uniforms and equipment, and cruisers for the four officers.

If Wilmore pitches in the $50,000 proposed Monday, each of the other contributors would pay $69,600 each. Young said she would be happy with any funding the city council could offer.

Wilmore is facing other expenses in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1. The council approved the purchase of a $269,155 fire truck at Monday's meeting, and in April agreed to fund three new police cruisers and a curb repair project from the 2007 budget surplus.

The Wilmore City Council meets May 14, and could make a decision then.

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