Byram turns in PPD budget
By Terry Murry on Monday, April 29th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – It’s time for budgets. Oregon begins its new fiscal year on July 1, and department heads, school officials, and others are figuring out what they have to spend when the new fiscal year starts. One of those is Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram. He says it’s a challenging task, but he has turned his hoped-for spending plan in to City Manager Robb Corbett.
“Stuff isn’t getting any cheaper, I’ll tell you that right now,” Byram said. “You know, it’s trying to balance the basic needs of the agency for this community with what we can actually afford.”
He says it’s obvious his budget has increased from the current fiscal year. One of the new expenses he’s hoping to get approved are bicycles. Byram is creating a new beat that officers will patrol involving the River Parkway and downtown area.
“We have a couple of E-bikes that are budgeted for those officers who are going to be working those beats in the downtown core and the river levy,” he said. “It’s just another tool for them to be more efficient and visible in their job.”
Byram said he is also hoping for approval of outfitting all PPD officers with their own Tasers.
“A Taser is a valuable piece of equipment this day and age,” he said. “A lot of times where we have to use force, a Taser can takes the hands-on component out of it where injuries occur a lot.”
