Mississippi Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, said legislation he sponsored to pay the Jackson police department $16,000 survived a conference committee and is now waiting for Gov. Haley Barbour's signature. "The chief and I talked about this months ago. I've been working hard on it all session, and I appreciate very much the help of Lt. Gov. (Phil) Bryant and Sen. Alan Nunnelee in helping to pass the bill," Blount said this week.
Senate Bill 3156, an appropriation bill for the Department of Finance and Administration, has already passed both the House and the Senate, but contains language giving the police department the one-time payment to counter overtime the department incurred while policing state events such as the Mississippi State Fair. It does not cover overtime the department incurred during city events such as the St. Paddy's Day Parade.
The city will welcome the state appropriation if Barbour gives it his blessing. City Administration Director Rick Hill told the city council on Tuesday that the police department has spent almost all of its $1.9 million overtime budget, with a little more than $300,000 left until the fiscal year ends in September.
Police Chief Malcolm McMillin stopped most overtime last year, due to budget constraints, though overtime is necessary for special occasions such as parades and natural disasters such as the recent tornado damage inside the city.
Previous Comments
- ID
- 118745
- Comment
Every little bit helps, I suppose. If Barbour doesn't sign off on this, I'm going to wonder what he has against the JPD. I'm already wondering that about the Senate since the last measure failed.
- Author
- LatashaWillis
- Date
- 2008-04-18T15:33:42-06:00
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