Sparks to consider police ballot measure

SPARKS (AP) - The Sparks City Council will consider asking voters to support a sales tax increase to hire 25 new police officers.

The council will vote next Monday on whether the proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase will appear on the November general election ballot.

Officials say the city has 108 sworn officers, down from a peak of 121 last year. They say that work force is about 66 short of national standards for a city its size.

The current Sparks sales tax is about 7.7 percent.

City officials say the proposed increase would generate about $3.6 million a year. Besides hiring and equipping 25 officers, money also would be used for five nonofficer positions lost through recent budget cuts.