HEMET — A special meeting this afternoon puts frozen Hemet police positions in front of the Measure U Citizen Oversight Committee, along with a staff estimate that unfreezing up to nine of them would cost $1.301 million a year.
The committee meets at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, in the City Hall Board Room on the second floor, 445 E. Florida Ave. City Clerk Rosalia A. Butler’s affidavit of posting is dated Monday, Sept. 21, at 3:15 p.m.
Item 5.A is Staff Report #26-343, from Finance. Interim City Manager Noah Rau and Administrative Services Director Tiffany Barnett submitted it. The report asks the committee to receive a presentation on Police Department positions frozen in the adopted fiscal 2026-27 budget, and to review the estimated fiscal impact and the available balance in the Police portion of Measure U. Members are also asked to consider a recommendation to the City Council on using that balance to fund the positions for fiscal 2026-27.
No committee recommendation is in the packet
If the committee recommends Measure U funding, staff estimates a City Council appropriation for about seven months at approximately $759,000. The report treats that draw on fund balance as one-time money for fiscal 2026-27. Beginning in fiscal 2027-28, the cost would be about $1.301 million ongoing if all nine positions were filled for a full year.
As of July 1, 2026, the preliminary estimated fund balance in the Police portion of Measure U was approximately $13.0 million, according to the staff report. After estimated fiscal 2026-27 revenues and expenditures, a 20% reserve and continuing appropriations, the projected amount available at the end of the fiscal year is approximately $4.9 million. The table lists $4,900,000. After the $759,000 figure, the remainder is $4,141,000, which the narrative puts at approximately $4.1 million.
The special meeting page and the posted agenda packet, including Staff Report #26-343, are on the city’s civic web portal.
. Staff Report #26-343 says there is no fiscal impact directly associated with this discussion item. Any appropriation would be subject to City Council action.
Council direction, as laid out in the report, was to present the fiscal impact of unfreezing up to nine positions. The estimate is $108,400 a month, $1,301,000 a year:
- 1 temporary part-time civilian investigator: $2,800 a month, $34,000 a year
- 1 full-time community services officer: $6,600 a month, $79,000 a year
- 1 full-time outreach and engagement specialist: $9,750 a month, $117,000 a year
- 6 full-time police officers: $89,250 a month, $1,071,000 a year
The six officer positions are listed at $1,071,000 a year. The three civilian positions come to about $230,000.
