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Thursday, May 30, 2019

Midway to pay Versailles more for police because of one-time upgrades to that city's police department

Midway will pay about $27,000, or 16.5 percent, more for police services from Versailles in 2019-20 under figures that the Versailles police chief gave Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift today.

Vandegrift had budgeted $166,000, the same as last year, for police in the budget that he submitted to the council, but he noted at the last budget workshop that he had not received updated figures from Versailles. Under the cities' contract, Midway pays 4.25 percent of Versailles' police budget.

"Last year, our share came in at just under $166,000 of the $4,181,440 total. This year, the VPD overall budget is $4,550,880, which means our share is $193,412," Vandegrift said in a note to the council and news media today. He said the increase stems from four line items that will not recur next year. "Therefore, we can expect next year's total to go back to a number we're more used to."

He continued, "The additions are one-time costs for phone and computer system upgrades, as well as new furniture and office upgrades for the new police station. None of our portion pays for the new building itself. I support this temporary increase because the VPD does an excellent job serving and protecting us, and Chief [Mike] Murray and Assistant Chief [Rob] Young have demonstrated time and time again their commitment to continually creating a better and better police force. The officers, in my experience, are professional and polite, and any complaints that have been filed have been dealt with in a timely and forthright manner."

Vandegrift noted a Lane Report story today about a Safewise report of the 20 safest cities in Kentucky, based on crime statistics. "Because we don't have our own police force, Midway's data is included with Versailles and the county, but based on the reports for Midway that the police provide each month, if we were separated out and therefore included in this study, we would rank as one of the safest, if not the very safest city in Kentucky," he wrote. "This is no doubt in part due to the excellent service of the VPD, and I firmly believe that this request is reasonable and prudent. The new police building will only improve the service that this institution can provide, and will give our officers the most modern equipment and tools in law enforcement. I believe that we must support our police department and the officers that protect us, especially on this temporary basis."

The council's next meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall. Its third and probably final budget workshop is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, at City Hall, with passage likely June 17. All council meetings are open to the public. The budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 calls for revenue of $1,847,813 and a surplus of $446,743, or 24 percent of revenue.

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