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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
Brian Curran, Police Chief |
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DATE: |
February 23, 2009 |
The attached resolution and ordinance would authorize the appropriation of FY2008-2009 Kutz funds in the amount of $4500 to enhance the Police Department’s ability to investigate serious motor vehicle crashes.
On April 7, 1985, the last will and testament of Wilbur S. Kutz was filed with the Clerk of Court of Orange County. The document denoted the bequest of $100,000 to the Chapel Hill Police Department. The bequest was not specifically directed to one particular program area so it was decided, at the time of the bequest, that the interest received from the gift, which has been invested at the Town’s discretion, will be utilized to supplement the Police Department’s training budget.
The Police Department recently cut its training budget in an effort to conserve funds. Since the time of the bequest, interest on the Kutz funds has accumulated significantly. The Police Department would like to begin strategically using the Kutz funds to pay for training opportunities that are vital to our effectiveness but not funded in our current budget.
One such use is the continued training of two officers to investigate crashes involving death or serious injuries. We designated two of our experienced officers to this position last year and have been training them since that time. The next step in their training is a 2-week class taught at the Institute of Police Technology and Management in Jacksonville, Florida, after which these officers will be fully trained in motor vehicle crash reconstruction.
The Town would appropriate $4,500 from the Kutz funds to pay for the coursework, travel, and related expenses for the two officers. There would be no fiscal impact to the current budget other than salary for each officer.
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution authorizing the appropriation of $4500 from the Kutz funds, and that the Council enact the attached budget ordinance amendment.