By Josue Picazo. Bay City News.
The police department that oversees the unincorporated community of Broadmoor in San Mateo County will have to wait a little longer to see if the county will bail it out with a one-time $750,000 funding.
Supervisor David Canepa presented a plan at Tuesday's board of supervisors meeting to use Measure K funds to provide assistance to the department as it faces possible bankruptcy.
A budget approved by the Broadmoor Police Protection District last June recorded a deficit of more than $350,000. The budget also showed a total of eight full- or part-time officers, including Police Chief Michael Connolly.
At the board meeting, Supervisor Warren Slocum filed a countermotion seeking to reduce the proposed funding by 66 percent to $250,000.
The district is governed by a three-member elected commission and the department serves about 7,000 residents. It was formed 75 years ago.
The department's website boasts that it “has the distinction of having the last remaining single-purpose police protection district in the state of California.”
The department has received coverage for controversial hires, including that of former Vallejo officer Ryan McMahon, who was involved in two fatal shootings during his time in Vallejo and then left the Broadmoor department this year.
Measure K funds can be allocated for a wide variety of topics, and several of them were also discussed at the meeting, including housing, various safety measures and education.
The board will meet again on Nov. 7 to further discuss the proposed funding.
“There are some in our county who intend to disband the police department and have the understaffed county Sheriff's Department patrol Broadmoor from many miles away in Millbrae,” Canepa said in a news release before the meeting.
“This goes against the wishes of Broadmoor residents and jeopardizes the public safety of its 7,000 residents as organized property, auto and retail thefts skyrocket throughout the Bay Area,” he added. .
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