Bellevue’s government affairs director brought a concerning state Senate bill to the city council’s attention Monday that would pull state funding for basic police training and put all cost on local jurisdictions.

Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, is sponsoring Senate Bill 5955, which would pull the states 75-percent portion of training costs for law enforcement cadets to the Criminal Justice Training Commission.

“This bill would make 100 percent of the cost fall on the city,” Joyce Nichols told the council during a government briefing Monday, adding this would not bode well for the police department. “We’re trying to beef up our forces here in Bellevue.”

At one point, local jurisdictions would put revenue from traffic violations through a designated fund, Nichols said, which was later dropped in favor of placing the funds into the state’s general fund. The Senate Ways and Means Committee heard testimony on the bill Tuesday in Olympia.

Nichols told the Reporter the Legislature is trying to balance its biennial budget with the McCleary decision and a 16-year transportation package expected, and lawmakers are looking at ways to cut costs in the general fund.

“For us, and for everyone else, it is an unfunded mandate,” Nichols said.

Nichols said the state Office of Financial Management estimates it costs $10,000 to train an officer.

The Bellevue Police Department set a goal of hiring 20 new officers through its 2014 recruitment campaign, Protect this City, to replace those lost through retirement and promotions. The department sent 18 officers through the academy in 2014, another six hired who had already undergone training. The city estimates 15 entry-level officers will require academy training this year, but another five officers will be hired who do not. The city expects to continue this trend in 2016.