Police chopper flies, TPAC falls
6:26 p.m. Thursday, August 21, 2008
For many Topekans, the city council's cuts to the Topeka Performing Arts Center have been at the center of the debate over the city council's budget for 2009.
However, what some Topekans may not know is that if the council would have cut some of the funding for the Topeka Police helicopter, which is currently grounded, they could have given TPAC partial funding. What's more, it's a cut Police Chief Ron Miller said he was willing to absorb.
"If we're going to reduce the budget by $100,000, then we can accomplish that," Miller said Tuesday at the council's budget meeting.
It was one of the first suggestions to come out at the city council's budget meeting Tuesday. Councilman Jeff Preisner proposed taking around $100,000 from the Topeka Police helicopter program to support funding for TPAC. It was a move city councilman Brett Blackburn called "asinine."
"I think TPAC can learn from the model of the Topeka Civic Theater and be self-sufficient," Blackburn said.
The helicopter unit's been grounded since one of it's choppers crashed in April. The one remaining police helicopter is not expected to fly over Topeka again until at least May 2009, but it still has costs, like hangar and maintenance fees. Still, Chief Miller said his department could handle the cut as long as there weren't additional ones.
"The police department has a $30 million budget," Miller said. "If the council needs $100,000 dollars for another important project, then the police department wants to participate in that if it can and that is a line item where we could reduce some expenditures."
So why did the council not cut funding for the chopper?
In short, to not raise your property taxes. Even if the council took money from the helicopter budget, they would have to find another $200,000 to completely fund TPAC. Still, it's an excuse that's not good enough for TPAC executive director Barbara Wiggins.
"We're talking about minimal increases that will continue to put the city in a position to grow and provide the necessary services to the people that live here," Wiggins said.
Tuesday's council meeting was a marathon session. The last time they considered the helicopter funding was at 8 p.m. and they pulled the plug on TPAC funding five hours later, around 1 a.m.
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Comments
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Aug. 22, 2008 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)Stubs (anonymous)
They need to cut the chopper program altogehter and sell that thing. As for TPAC they do need to be more self-sufficient. Charge a large fee for the tickets you sell. Make the people who use it pay for it.
Aug. 23, 2008 at 3:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)GIJOE (anonymous)
that chopper when running can do the job of 5 to 10 police officers. the chopper is grounded because of the the chiefs decision right now. not the city councils. the chopper is a valuable tool for TPD, KHP, SN COUNTY, and other surrounding counties. I am glad that it will be flying again. TPAC is too expensive and there is never anything good going on there anyway!
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