ROELAND PARK, Kan. (AP) The suburban Kansas City mayor says her police department is in danger of being disbanded after a Walmart store closes in 2014 and leaves a roughly $700,000 sales tax gap.
Roeland Park, Kan., Mayor Adrienne Foster says she could consider eliminating the department to save money, but the City Council’s public safety committee chairman says that’s not an option.
KSHB reports the police department has 20 full-time and part-time employees serving the community of about 6,500, with an annual budget of about $1.4 million.
As council members work on budget-cutting proposals, getting rid of the police department is among suggestions on Foster’s list. If that were to happen, the city would have to pay the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department to provide public safety services.
