The Lampasas City Council is considering eliminating one police officer through attrition in order to balance the city's 2009-10 budget.

During a budget workshop Thursday, City Manager Michael Stoldt recommended not hiring a replacement if a Lampasas Police Department officer resigns next budget year. The employee reduction would save about $50,000, Stoldt said.

The city has more pressing needs for parks and fire employees, the city manager added, than for police officers. With 18 officers, Lampasas' police force meets the recommended size for a city of its population, Stoldt said.

The City Council has approved construction of a sports park on Farm-to-Market Road 580 West and plans to add both a parks technician and a recreation specialist to the 2009-10 payroll.

Lampasas also owns two properties where a fire substation could be built, but Stoldt said the seven employees needed to staff the station would cost the city about $400,000 a year. The Lampasas Fire Department has 12 paid employees, including three part-time firefighters and six full-time firefighters who work in shifts of two at a time.

"It's a matter of where you want to put your priorities," the city manager said. "If you want a substation, you better start adding staff."

Lampasas added a motorcycle traffic officer during the 2008-09 budget cycle, which ends Sept. 30. Although Stoldt said police officers do not have a ticket quota to meet, the city manager had hoped increased Municipal Court revenue would pay for the additional salary.

The City Council planned for $462,500 in Municipal Court revenue for 2008-09 and justified hiring a motorcycle officer partly because city staff expected court fines to increase as a result of the officer, Stoldt said. Municipal Court revenue is projected to reach only $371,000 for the fiscal year, however, and the city manager recommended the council budget $275,000 in revenue for 2009-10.

Municipal Court Judge Robert Gradel has said he believes the poor economy is motivating drivers to seek community service or deferred adjudication in place of paying traffic tickets.

Councilman Evan Stubbs said council members should not base police staffing on ticket revenue.

"If we're going to tell the police department that we're making hiring and firing decisions based on income, I think that sends the wrong message," Stubbs said.

The Municipal Court never will fund the police department completely, the councilman added, as the LPD budget would be higher than $1.7 million even with one less officer.

Stubbs and Stoldt both said the city should not encourage officers to write tickets simply to generate revenue. The police department does excellent work, the city manager said, but he reiterated that city funds are limited.

City staff receive many complaints about park conditions and staff of the Parks & Recreation Department, Stoldt commented, but he said police service and the city's crime rate have not prompted significant criticism. Addressing Brad Neely, the city manager noted the new city councilman ran on a platform of improving parks and recreation service.

"There's only so much money," Stoldt said. "Are you going to put that in parks or in keeping the number of police officers high, because we added one this year?"

Councilman Jerry Grayson said he considers public safety personnel the greater priority.

"I know we need people in parks," Grayson said, "but I'll stand here to my last day, and if it's between people in police and fire and people in parks, I'm going to vote for the police and fire every time."

Council member Wanda Bierschwale also said she would vote to continue staffing the police department at its current level. Because of the recession, Mrs. Bierschwale predicted an increase in crime. Stoldt noted, however, that Lampasas has not experienced an elevated crime rate in recent months.

If the City Council approves Stoldt's attrition proposal, an officer would be laid off only if none resigns by Oct. 1, 2010.

Stoldt wants to keep the two police motorcycles, as well as the officer. "I think the motorcycle is still a good tool for the police officer," the city manager said.

If a different employee resigns, however, the motorcycle officer likely will begin working a regular shift. The city already has a car for the officer, Police Chief Tim Angermann noted, for use at night and during inclement weather.

Grayson and Mrs. Bierschwale were the only council members to say directly that they oppose eliminating one officer position. Council will discuss the matter during today's budget workshop at 1 p.m.