Raleigh Police Department could get more money, officers. Activists want budget cut.
More than two dozen people spoke against a proposed budget increase for the Raleigh Police Department on Tuesday night.
Several people called into the Raleigh City Council’s virtual public hearing on the $1.07 billion budget, which includes a 5% property tax rate to help build affordable housing and maintain the city’s parks system.
While most council members attended the meeting from their homes, about 50 people watched the meeting outside of city hall.
Organized by Refund Raleigh, the people were there to protest a proposed $5 million increase for the Raleigh Police Department and speak during the public hearing.
“We’re suffering from gentrification and houselessness, a lack of health care and starvation wages,” according to a Refund Raleigh social media post. “A budget increase to RPD is wrong, immoral and indefensible.”
The proposed budget includes a total of $116.5 million for the police department and adds seven new police officers to form a Parks and Greenway unit. Another portion of the increase is required to reflect the city’s contribution to employee retirement and 401k, said City Manager Marchel Adams-David.
Calls to shift police funding
Many speakers called for shifting funding from the police department to other departments or needs, a common call from activists during protests last year after the murder of George Floyd. In Durham, the City Council is considering transferring vacant police positions to a new community safety department.
“I have been the victim of police intimidation in my own home, and I don’t think the way forward to reconcile racism inside our state is to provide more resources to an institution that is perpetuating violence against people of color,” said Dennis Williams, a Raleigh resident.
Several speakers mentioned a lawsuit that alleges a longtime Raleigh police officer framed at least a dozen innocent people as drug dealers.
Each speaker was given one minute to speak on the budget, which frustrated some speakers including Ajamu Dillahunt who called it an “anti-democratic” process.
“The city has refused to reckon with the racist origins of the Raleigh Police Department and its connection to the institution of slavery,” he said. “Until we really want to move forward, the council has to refuse to be ahistorical, apolitical in their action.”
Matthew Cooper, representing the Raleigh Police Protective Association, signed-up to speak but was unable to call in to the meeting. He emailed his statement to the city clerk which The News & Observer requested.
Matthew Cobb was the sole speaker to support the increase to the police department. He asked that $1.5 million budgeted for a new equity and diversity office be moved to a different area, possibly the police department.
“I am afraid that department rather than foster unity and harmony will increase the sort of racial tensions and divisiveness we have seen,” he said.
Proposed tax increase
Fewer speakers spoke against a proposed tax increase.
The proposed property tax rate is 37.3 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That includes a penny increase on the tax rate for critical park needs and an expected 0.78 cent increase to begin paying for the city’s 2020 affordable housing bond.
The owner of a home with a tax value of $350,000 would pay $1,305.50 in city tax under the proposed budget, a $62.30 increase.
The City Council could vote on the budget as early as next week.
