On Thursday night, Wilmington City Council voted to approve two budget amendments.
The first amendment will add $1.2 million for police overtime through June 30, 2015. That amendment will also fund the creation of a Town Watch Crime Reduction Website.
Mayor Dennis Williams (D) says the funding comes at a good time.
"We were several officers down and short but we redeployed some officers, and put some more officers on the street. And we’re filling the overtime until the Academy graduates in June. And again I think City Council did the right thing and public safety is paramount," he said.
The second amendment will add another $2.1 million to replenish the City’s housing strategic fund and fund the creation of a city land bank program, which will develop unused properties.
"The city owns them and some absentee landlords own some of these properties and it will be easy to confiscate these properties and turn them into livable housing and affordable housing," said the Mayor.
The Williams’ Administration says that the police overtime funding will come from the projected 2015 budget surplus, the second amendment will be funded from money from the city’s unassigned fund balance.