Mayor Mike Johnston is on a campaign to reduce spending in swaths of the city. One group that won’t be defunded: police officers.
After laying off 171 non-union workers and slashing hundreds of vacant jobs to close a $250 million budget gap, Johnston is on track to raise salaries for union police officers. The city also approved raises for firefighters recently.
In a recent interview, the mayor said spending on public safety was a top priority, arguing that the city couldn’t cut back on benefits and spending just as it was resolving police staffing issues…