KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — It was quite a change. Instead of talking about where they would be cutting staff and programs, Kalamazoo City Commissioners and city department heads were talking about staff they wanted to restore, staff openings that left a big gap when they had to be cut from the payroll.
Commissioners went through the departments one by one Monday evening in their first 2017 budget workshop, the first budget to be supplemented by the Foundation for Excellence.
Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley says he will be beefing up his street patrols and restoring Community Policing Officers to key neighborhoods, thanks to the new funding.
Each department has plans to bolster their staff to fill gaps by earlier staffing reductions. Each also recommended improvements in efficiency, either through computerization or other means to take maximum advantage of the situation.
City Manager Jim Ritsema says the goal is to create a city government that is “thriving, not just surviving” and that work is well underway.
Commissioners have tentatively planned one more work session, if they need it with final approval of the budget set for mid-January.
