COLORADO SPRINGS MAYOR YEMI MOBOALDE AND SPRINGS POLICE CHIEF ADRIAN VASQUEZ APPEARED BEFORE CITY COUNCIL MONDAY, LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT FINANCING FOR A NEW POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING CENTER. VASQUEZ SAYS THE CURENT FACILITY IS TOO SMALL. CITY LEADERS WANT TO HAVE CONTINUIOUS CADET TRAINING, WITH NEW RECRUITS JOINING THE FORCE EVERY 15 WEEKS. THE MAYOR AND THE POLICE CHIEF ARE PROPOSING KEEPING SOME TABOR REFUNDS TO START FUNDING A NEW TRAINING CENTER. TABOR ALLOWS CITY GOVERNMENT TO KEEP ONLY SO MUCH TAX MONEY. ANY EXCESS GOES BACK TO CITY RESIDENTS. MAYOR MOBOLADE IS LOOKING FOR 5 MILLION DOLLARS TO START. IF SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL APPROVES THE REQUEST, THE QUESTION WOULD GO ON A SPECIAL BALLOT FOR RESIDENTS TO VOTE ON IN NOVEMBER. MOBOLADE SAYS SOME CITIES HAVE BUILT NEW TRAINING CENTERS FOR 30 TO 40 MILLION DOLLARS.
