This story is taken from Roseville at sacbee.com.
New copter whirls way into budget
Sheriff's plea for new craft to fight crime and fires is heard; board to find funds.
By Art Campos -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, August 20, 2006
Placer County supervisors have put a check mark at the top of the sheriff's wish list, saying they will try to find money for a modern crime-fighting helicopter.
The copter, pegged at $3.2 million by sheriff's officials who have been shopping for a new aircraft, was a main topic of discussion during the supervisors' three-day workshop last week on the county's proposed $638.5 million budget.
It would replace a 35-year-old helicopter that sheriff's officials say lacks the ability to fly at high altitudes, perform rescue missions or engage in fighting fires by dropping water on flames.
"The current helicopter was designed for observation missions by the military," said former sheriff's deputy and pilot David Brose, now an investigator for the Placer County district attorney. "It's not equipped for law enforcement."
Money for a helicopter was not included in the proposed 2006-07 budget submitted in June by the county's administrative staff, causing sheriff's officials to plead for funding during the workshop.
On Thursday, the five supervisors informally consented to have the staff look for the extra money.
Supervisor Bruce Kranz lobbied strongly for the copter. He said the longer the board waits to buy a copter, the more expensive it will be in future years.
In addition, Kranz liked the idea of a new sheriff's helicopter being able to carry a water bucket to fight a fire.
"Shame on us if we have a fire and we had an opportunity to get a helicopter that could put out a fire when (the fire) is a quarter of an acre -- and that thing escapes and burns down a community," he said.
Supervisor Robert Weygandt had reservations about digging back into the budget to find money for the aircraft.
Weygandt said he had a number of projects in his district -- which includes Lincoln and its surrounding area -- that could use funding. He cited new roads as an example.
On Thursday, the final day of the workshop, supervisors directed staff to find $1 million in its budget for a down payment on a new copter.
The Sheriff's Department will contribute another $500,000, which it has saved over the past decade by selling surplus equipment given to it by the military, said Undersheriff Steve D'Arcy.
The remaining $1.7 million for the copter's purchase will need to be budgeted in 2007-08, supervisors decided.
The new helicopter is expected to be in use by 2008, D'Arcy said.
County staff will return next month with a funding and procurement plan for the helicopter. Included is the county's intent to ask the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln for funding contributions because they don't have their own crime-fighting helicopters and would benefit from the sheriff's air operations unit.
Supervisors will discuss the final budget at a hearing on Sept. 12 and are expected to adopt a budget on Sept. 26.
In last week's discussions, the Sheriff's Department was allotted $77.2 million for the 2006-07 fiscal year. It reflects a $5.9 million increase, or 8 percent, over its 2005-06 budget.
The county allocated nine new employee positions in the Sheriff's Department, seven of which are for new deputies.
The county's overall $638.5 million budget is $37 million more than the current budget, an increase of 6 percent. It includes 28 new employees in the work force.
Staff members told supervisors that the $37 million was $10 million less than what county departments had requested.
Other recommendations in the proposed budget included:
• $89.8 million for the Public Works Department, an increase of $21.4 million. Engineering and road maintenance account for $73.6 million of the department's expenses.
• $16.1 million for the District Attorney's Office, an increase of $1.2 million. Five new employees, including two prosecutors and an investigator, are proposed.
• $24.8 million for the Community Development Resource Agency, a $2.3 million increase.
• $137.8 million for Health and Human Services, nearly $17 million more than in 2005-06. The proposed figure is tentative, however, because the department must wait for the state to finalize its allocations for counties.
While getting a promise for the helicopter and an allocation for seven new deputies, the Sheriff's Department was stalled by supervisors on at least three other requests.
They included Sheriff Ed Bonner's request for $600,000 for five correctional officers to staff all five booking stations at the county jail in Auburn. Bonner said only two stations are used now because of the lack of personnel.
Bonner said a booking process that should take about two hours can sometimes take more than a dozen hours because of the manpower shortage.
Another sheriff's request was for $415,000 for furniture for the nearly completed Auburn Justice Center on Richardson Drive within the county government center. Supervisors asked staff to search for available funds when the center is completed later this year.
Also to be evaluated is a request for $200,000 to move the sheriff's boat storage barn to the new justice center when the current sheriff's station on A Avenue is shut down and eventually demolished.
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