The New Year promises to bring a little cheer to the Maple Valley Police Department.

At the Monday meeting, the Maple Valley City Council approved an increase in the utility tax from 3 percent to 6 percent to pay for three police officers, increase the city’s detective to full time, an executive assistant and support officer. Also funds will be directed to moving the emergency operations center from the King County Sheriff’s Office Precinct No. 3, which is expected to be closed early in 2011. The plan is to move the center to City Hall.

Maple Valley contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office for city police services, as does Covington.

The quick action taken by the council and staff was precipitated by the King County budget crisis. In an effort to cut $60 million from the sheriff’s office budget, King County Sheriff Sue Rahr announced in September she intends to layoff 28 deputies. Rahr also will close the precincts located in Maple Valley and Kenmore.

Rahr said at the Tuesday Covington City Council meeting the plan is to lease office space from contract city’s for deputies. Rahr said she hoped to work a deal with Covington to sublease an office in City Hall. The command staff now located at the Maple Valley precinct would move to Sammamish.

Maple Valley City Manager David Johnston noted the city has relied on the Maple Valley precinct for backup police support for more than a decade. With the plan to close the precinct, Johnston felt it was time for the city to take action and hire more officers.

“The city has grown from 11,000 to 23,000 and we have not grown our police department,” Johnston said at the Maple Valley City Council meeting. “The only way we can do that is to ask you to raise (utility) taxes.”

Part of the funds from the utility tax increase will be directed to a study looking at how the city should provide police services, whether contracting with the sheriff’s office or creating a city or regional force is the answer.

Councilman Bill Allison said, “We are understaffed and we should have dealt with this years ago.”

Councilman Dana Parnello said this tax increase was “not the easy way out,” and options have been looked at, but cuts to programs have already been made.

Councilwoman Linda Johnson said she was not in favor of the tax increase because the revenue goes into the general fund and future councils could use it for other purposes.

“We are maxing out the utility tax without knowing what’s happening with the precinct,” Johnson said. “We have citizens and businesses (that are) hurting.”

Mayor Noel Gerken said public safety was a priority and, “perception of public safety is important. There are a lot of bad guys out there…. Drug abuse in teens and adults is epidemic.”

The council passed the measure 6-1 with Johnson voting no.