Mesa Police is proposing a $298.8-million spending plan for next fiscal year, which includes getting rid of recruit signing bonuses and eliminating vacant civilian positions.
All departments were required to reduce their base budgets by 2% due to rising costs and state revenue reductions such as the elimination of the rental tax. In order to minimize the impact to the department, Mesa Police’s $4.4 million in reductions will be spread out over two fiscal years with $1.7 million coming in 2026-27.
“We have increasing costs in our public safety areas,” Mayor Mark Freeman said at the April 16 study session. “Are we talking about maybe the public safety sales tax increase in the future because it’s important to continue to support our public safety personnel and that’s a citywide initiative?”
Voters in 2018 approved hiking the city’s sales tax to 2% from 1.75%, dedicating the 0.25% or roughly $30 million a year for public safety…