LUBBOCK, Texas — In a special meeting on Wednesday, the Lubbock City Council approved the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget on first read with a vote of 6-0.
The unanimous decision provides $60 million in increased funding for public safety. This includes construction on new downtown police headquarters, hiring of 12 additional officers, upgrades to municipal facilities, and three new substations.
“It’ll be great,” said Interim Police Chief Jerry Brewer. “It’ll be each particular part of town’s own police station.”
Pope believes the substations, long over-due, will play a huge role throughout the city.
“We have some property crime issues in our city that we feel like decentralizing our police helps us with solve that problem,” Pope said.
After a year of debate and discussion, councilmembers decided a one-cent property tax hike would allow the city to pay for a high-cost project.
“Because of growth we have revenue so we don’t have to issue the debt to taxpayers,” Pope said.
The approved funding also increases the total number of LPD officers to 465. Brewer says the substations will allow LPD to initiate community policing and provide better coverage.
“If they need to get a police report, they can just go to the substation and get it,” Brewer said. “If they need to have a neighborhood meeting, they can just go to the substation. It’ll be a big benefit to the community.”
Construction on the first substation in East Lubbock is expected to begin in the next few months.
