WARDEN - Warden's police chief expressed concern about possible state plans to cut funding for the police academy.

Chief Rick Martin told the city council he was afraid of how cuts in the governor's and the House's budgets would affect the police department.

Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed budget required cities to pay half the cost of the police academy. The House's budget proposal cut funding for the police academy completely, leaving cities to cover the cost, Martin said.

The estimated cost for the academy is about $15,000, Martin said. When added to the salary, the six-month-long training would end up costing the city about $55,000 per officer.

"Every three years, or so, our department experiences a 50 percent turnover of the officers we hire," he stated. "We are a cheap resource in providing officers to bigger agencies. We have already borne the start-up expenses in locating, conducting a background investigation, polygraph, psychological evaluation, on-the-job training and post academy training."

Martin feels like the state is forcing smaller police departments to close in favor of having larger police departments come in, he said.

"We're getting to the point where they'll just price us out of a local police department," he said. "I think I'm up to $485,000, $500,000 in the general fund for the (police department.) If the county comes up and says, 'I can give it to you for $350,000 or $400,000.' Then the city is going to make $100,000."

Mayor Tony Massa said the Senate's budget proposal seems to affect money from the state less.

"My analogy would be that they're trying to balance the budget on the backs of the cities and towns, so that they don't have to raise taxes, they will force cities and towns to raise taxes and take back the revenue that was normally shared with those cities and towns in a funded mandate," he said.

The state legislature is working to close a $1.5 billion deficit in the biennium budget. They have until the end of the legislative session Thursday to agree on a budget.