FLORENCE — Florence City Council gave first reading to a proposed $64,516,500 fiscal year 2009-10 budget that includes no tax increases five hours into a special meeting Wednesday.
But that’s not to say that there won’t be a tax increase by the time second reading comes around at council’s June 8 meeting.
Council also approved Florence attorney Debra Jackson as a new city judge beginning June 1. Jackson replaces Chevron Scott, who has resigned.
The budget session caught on fire when mention was made of the possibility of hiring 14 new policemen in the next several years.
Councilman Ed Robinson vehemently opposed the proposed hirings.
Robinson said he “lives in the heart of a ghetto” and has never had any problems with gangs.
“This is not good for my community,” Robinson said. “All they (police) will do is go out and harass my people and destroy their lives. I’ve got a problem with that.”
He said the city has enough police officers now and that hiring more will only increase problems in his community. He said the majority of those incarcerated in the county today are black.
He said hiring more police officers will just mean that many more blacks being arrested.
“Why is it that 75 to 80 percent of those in jail are black when the biggest crimes are in the white neighborhoods,” he said. “More and more police officers will never solve the problem.”
Robinson said most of those arrested are young. He said they need guidance and direction, not imprisonment.
“These kids don’t feel free, I don’t feel free,” he said. “The minute they step out of line for the smallest thing, they face a police officer. They are charged with a crime they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. It keeps them from getting jobs.
“It’s not fair and it’s not right. You are destroying a generation of kids. My concern is these kids are the ones who will be losing if we hire more police officers.”
Mayor Stephen J. Wukela took issue with Robinson. He said the additional officers would try to keep people out of trouble.
“When I was campaigning for mayor, I had people telling me they were prisoners in their own homes because of gangs,” Wukela said. “They asked me to help put a stop to this. We’ve got to protect the people of Florence.”
Councilman Buddy Brand, who also alluded to a proposed police substation downtown, said more officers will be able to protect more people.
City Manager David Williams said the funds aren’t in place to hire 18 new officers immediately. The hirings would have to be spread out.
But he said one of the police department’s main concerns is having to pay its current officers overtime.
“This is not an efficient use of manpower,” he said. “Adding new officers will help cut down on overtime costs.”
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