Desloge brings back COPS program

DESLOGE  -The City of Desloge is getting back into the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program. The board of aldermen authorized Police Chief James Bullock to apply for funding for two additional police officers through the program during Monday’s meeting.

“The COPS program is a federal grant that will pay for the starting salaries and benefits of newly hired police officers for the first three years of their employment,” said City Administrator Greg Camp. “It was started during the (Bill) Clinton administration and is back now under President (Barack) Obama. It’s actually part of the stimulus package. Before it only paid 75 percent. Now it actually pays 100 percent for the first three years.”

Camp said the police department has downsized by three police officers over the past seven years.

In other matters discussed Monday, the board agreed to meet George Butler Associates in the middle on a $4,000 change order. The city contracted with the firm to negotiate property easements and parcels for the Highway 67 Eastern Outer Road Improvement Project. Camp said the city has a $40,000 contract for the work, but there was an additional $4,000 in costs that were not anticipated by the firm.

“They had to put in an additional 31 hours that they were not planning on,” Camp said. “The board decided to meet in the middle on the change order request and is going to pay $2,000 more.”

The board approved a $2,240 bid from Purcell Tire for the purchase of eight tires for the fire department’s tanker truck. The board also approved a $2,441.46 bid from Quill for the purchase of flat file cabinets. The new cabinets will used to store maps and plans. The board accepted a bid of $515 for the sale of police cruiser and a bid of $601.27 for the sale of fire department van.