Durham debates bigger budget for Police Department amid George Floyd protests

Durham residents speaking at a public hearing Monday night opposed more money for policing, as demonstrators took to the streets to protest against police violence and the killing of George Floyd.

Residents called in to a virtual City Council meeting to speak about the $504.3 million budget that City Manager Tom Bonfield has proposed for the next fiscal year.

The budget would include $70.3 million for the Police Department, up from $67 million last year. There are currently 681 employees in the department, according to the city of Durham.

“An increase to their budget (is) a profound failure of imagination. At this very moment, my comrades, your constituents, are out in the streets in the middle of a pandemic fighting for another system that we know is possible,” said Danielle Purifoy, a member of the Durham Beyond Policing coalition. “What we need is to actually support our community and prioritize their health and safety and well-being over punishing them and throwing them in jail.”

The police budget increase would fund more training and add seven officers to the gang unit, according to the city.

Policing summit Friday

Several hundred marchers gathered in downtown Durham Monday night as part of a nationwide series of protests against the killing of George Floyd and overall police violence against African Americans.

In a separate protest Monday afternoon, marchers briefly blocked the Durham Freeway at Alston Avenue. They dispersed after Sheriff Clarence Birkhead and Police Chief C.J Davis agreed to attend a meeting Friday to discuss overpolicing and poverty in the black community. Durham police did not report any arrests.

“Every day in my neighborhood, I can see people who need housing and food and medical care. Each Wednesday I see cars lined up around the block for the church food pantry. We fund the police at such a level rather than expanding public services,” said Nathaniel Gaertner, a Durham resident. “We ask the police to do too much, reaching far into realms where someone with different training could do it better.”

Purifoy and Gaertner were the only two residents who spoke about the police budget at the hearing. Their calls for the city to spend less on the department came as city leaders denounced police violence and the death of George Floyd.

“I want to caution us against feeling superior to other cities or acting like policing issues don’t exist here, too,” Council member Jillian Johnson said. “Our city still spends a significant and growing amount of money on policing.”

Bonfield proposed spending more on policing despite canceling both a proposed raise for public employees and a property tax increase to fund affordable housing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Durham County reported 1,677 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Monday night.

Chief sought second gang unit

The council has been divided in on adding to Durham’s police force.

In March, council members approved six more officers, less than a year after they rejected adding more officers.

The six new patrol officers, costing around $420,000 annually, replaced positions transferred to the Gang Unit in December.

Davis originally wanted 13 more officers to create a second gang unit, but the council approved only half of that request, The News & Observer reported.

Last year, she asked for 72 more officers over three years, but the request was scaled back to 18 officers before the council rejected it in a 4-3 vote. Mayor Steve Schewel then proposed a compromise of nine officers, which the council also rejected 4-3.

What is Durham’s current property tax rate?

The council must adopt a budget by June 30 for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

If it maintains the current tax rate of 53.17 cents per $100 of assessed property, as Bonfield proposes, the owner of a $229,246 home, Durham’s median value, would pay $1,229 in city property taxes, according to the Durham County Office of Tax Administration.

City leaders on Monday also discussed a rate increase for storm water services and a roughly 2.9% water and sewer rate increase. They agreed to discuss the water and sewer rate increase after the budget is approved.

This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 4:57 PM.