Response from Clearwater City Council on Beach Patrol

This will acknowledge and thank you for advising the Clearwater City Council of your support for the Clearwater Beach patrol police team.

That you would take time to express your thoughts on this most important issue is appreciated. As you know, the City of Clearwater is faced with having to cut at least $7-million from last fiscal year's budget. In anticipation of these cuts, the Clearwater City Council had an outside consultant conduct an efficiency study of the Clearwater Police Department. That report gave the department an excellent review, and only a few recommendations were made on how to reduce the police department's budget, the largest city expenditure. While one of those suggestions affect the Clearwater Beach patrol police team, neither the City Council nor the City manager have implemented that cut.

Still, it is important for the Clearwater City Council to have this information available to it as it seeks to balance the budget. Although I believe the beach patrol team plays a necessary role in combating and preventing crime on Clearwater Beach, I also want to know as much as possible about the impact it, and other units, have on the operations of the police department and the city's budget. As the Clearwater City Council is tasked with making these difficult budgetary decisions, I hope you concur that it is most prudent to do so.

Again, thank you for your thoughts, and with warm, personal regards, I am

Sincerely,

--george n. cretekos

george n. cretekos member, clearwater city council george.cretekos@myclearwater.com 727-562-4050

(please note that any response to this email address is considered public record and, under state statute, must be made available to all members of the city council and the press)