Page 98 - Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

One Detective position was re-assigned to the C.I.S. Activity from the Crime Prevention Activity in the 2018-19 Budget.

School Safety Activity

The 2018-19 Budget for the School Safety Activity is $72,641 for an increase of $35,961 over the 2017-18 re-estimate of
$36,680. City Council approved contracting with a private company to provide crossing guards at key intersections to
assist students at schools located in Benbrook. Even with an increase in pay, the City was not able to hire qualified
candidates for crossing guards. When crossing guards were hired, individuals were not always dependable and
available for each shift. Police Department staff were pulled from service to work intersections. The liability and
workers’ compensation costs for these part-time employees was considerably higher than for other employees. The
contract is effective October 1, 2018.

Animal Control Activity

The Animal Control Activity is staffed by the Animal Control Officer and a part-time Animal Control Officer. The 2018-
19 Budget for Animal Control totals $134,238 for an increase of $3,108 over the 2017-18 re-estimate of $131,130.

The 2018-19 Budget includes funds for the cost-of-living adjustment for the Animal Control Officer. The Budget also
includes funds for an up-to seven and one-half percent increase in health, dental, and life insurance premiums for this
employee.

The Budget includes additional funds for vehicle supplies, maintenance, and repair; the truck assigned to Animal
Control is more susceptible to repairs based on its age and projected mileage. Additional funds for utility costs are
included for the new Animal Shelter facility scheduled for opening in December 2018.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Fire Department's 2018-19 Budget totals $3,710,120 for an increase of $347,610 from the 2017-18 re-estimate of
$3,362,510. The Fire Department is comprised of two activities: Fire Fighting and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
All personnel costs are included within the Fire Fighting Activity even though all full-time employees are trained and
certified as Firefighter Paramedics or Firefighter Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). The Fire Department is staffed
by twenty-eight full-time employees and two part-time employees. The 2018-19 Budget includes the addition of three
full-time Fire Fighter/EMT positions; these positions are funded from January 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019 in
2018-19. The Budget also includes the deletion of three part-time positions.
CITY OF BENBROOK 2018-19 ANNUAL BUDGET
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