Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen says he agrees with Mayor-elect Marian Orr that the Cheyenne Police Department is understaffed based on the city's population.

But Kaysen says finding a way to pay for more police officers could be a challenge given the current budget situation.

The mayor says city revenues for the first four months of fiscal year 2017 are below projections by about $100,000. Kaysen says another concern down the road will be state money for local governments.

Because the state is facing some major budget challenges, it's questionable whether it may cut or even eliminate funding to local governments.

The mayor last week announced a 60-day hiring freeze, but exempted the Cheyenne Police and Fire Departments as well as the Sanitation and Transit departments.

The mayor said last week in regard to police staffing that Cheyenne is currently under the recommended ratio of officers to population. But he said paying for the staffing increase right now or in the near future could be a problem.

During the mayoral campaign, Orr noted the city's population has increased by 6,000 people since 2010 while the number of police officers has declined. She cited a national survey that shows the average police officer in the U.S. handles thirty percent fewer calls than the average officer in Cheyenne

She also said the new Cheyenne Walmart off of interstate 80 has increased the workload for the CPD by several calls a day. she called proper staffing of the Cheyenne Police Department "an absolute need"

Orr will assume office in January, replacing Kaysen, who has served two terms. He did not run for re-election in 2016.

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