A five-year financial projection shows the public safety sales tax will be able to help fund the city’s share of five new police officers using a  federal grant.

The projection being reviewed by the citizens oversight committee on Thursday shows tapping the restricted half cent sales tax for the local share over the next five years is do-able.

It won’t happen, though, without the projected reserves dropping below the reserve balance required under the measure authorized by voters in 2006.

The required reserve is expected to be at $3.1 million at the end of the next fiscal year on June 30, 2026. The required reserve is $2.6 million.

By the end of the grant on June 20, 2030, the Measure M reserve will be at $2 million versus the required $2.9 million.

The $625,000 federal grant is allowing the city to hire 2 officers this year to put the number at 80. The grant will allow one more officer to be hired in 2025 and two more in 2026 to bring the police force total to 83.

The city will then have to pick up the salaries and benefits of the five additional officers going forward.

Manteca also has a pressing need to hire 9 more firefighters to temporarily add a second engine company to the Union Road station to serve the rapidly growing southwest portion of the city.

Manteca would currently have 25 percent less police officers and would be unable to staff two of its five fire engine companies without the half percent Measure M sales tax approved by voters in 2006.

The tax is paying for 20 police positions and 18 firelighter positions.

Measure M receipts means the Manteca Police Department now has 80 police officers with a quarter of the staffing made possible by the half cent sales tax.

The fire department has 45 frontline firefighters with 40 percent of them funded by Measure M.

Given it takes 9 firefighters to staff an engine company (one fire station) 24/7, Manteca would be forced on any given shift to “brown out” two of the  city’s five fire stations if there was no Measure M.

The police would only have 60 officers without the half percent sales tax.

And although there is no standard for staffing per se, many believe the city should strive to have one officer per 1,000.

Manteca, with  a population of 92,000, is 12 officers short of such a staffing level.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com

A five-year financial projection shows the public safety sales tax will be able to help fund the city’s share of five new police officers using a  federal grant.

The projection being reviewed by the citizens oversight committee on Thursday shows tapping the restricted half cent sales tax for the local share over the next five years is do-able.

It won’t happen, though, without the projected reserves dropping below the reserve balance required under the measure authorized by voters in 2006.

The required reserve is expected to be at $3.1 million at the end of the next fiscal year on June 30, 2026. The required reserve is $2.6 million.

By the end of the grant on June 20, 2030, the Measure M reserve will be at $2 million versus the required $2.9 million.

The $625,000 federal grant is allowing the city to hire 2 officers this year to put the number at 80. The grant will allow one more officer to be hired in 2025 and two more in 2026 to bring the police force total to 83.

The city will then have to pick up the salaries and benefits of the five additional officers going forward.

Manteca also has a pressing need to hire 9 more firefighters to temporarily add a second engine company to the Union Road station to serve the rapidly growing southwest portion of the city.

Manteca would currently have 25 percent less police officers and would be unable to staff two of its five fire engine companies without the half percent Measure M sales tax approved by voters in 2006.

The tax is paying for 20 police positions and 18 firelighter positions.

Measure M receipts means the Manteca Police Department now has 80 police officers with a quarter of the staffing made possible by the half cent sales tax.

The fire department has 45 frontline firefighters with 40 percent of them funded by Measure M.

Given it takes 9 firefighters to staff an engine company (one fire station) 24/7, Manteca would be forced on any given shift to “brown out” two of the  city’s five fire stations if there was no Measure M.

The police would only have 60 officers without the half percent sales tax.

And although there is no standard for staffing per se, many believe the city should strive to have one officer per 1,000.

Manteca, with  a population of 92,000, is 12 officers short of such a staffing level.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com