Mayors Seek Help On Homeland Front

Say Their Own Budget Shortfalls Make It Hard To Fight Terrorism

(AP)  The nation's mayors called Thursday for more federal funding to improve homeland security, saying their own budget shortfalls have made it difficult for them to bolster police and fire emergency response teams.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a survey of 215 cities that found 76 percent have yet to receive any of the $1.5 billion in federal homeland security funds designated for "first responder" teams such as police and fire departments.

"As leaders of cities which must be prepared to move at any time to higher terrorism threat levels — just as we did one month ago — this is completely unacceptable," said James A. Garner, conference president and mayor of Hempstead, N.Y.

The study, released at the mayors' winter meeting, also found 59 percent of cities said they lacked adequate opportunities to influence how the states, which receive the federal funds, distribute the money to cities.

In addition, 41 percent said their city government or health departments were shut out of state planning for emergency health preparedness, while 46 percent said they had not been reimbursed for law enforcement costs associated with ramped-up airport security.

"This analysis clearly shows that cities of all sizes — small, medium and large — are not getting the money they need to prepare their first responders and protect residents," said David Wallace, mayor of Sugar Land, Tex. "No city should be underfunded or underprotected."

The 215 cities surveyed were from every state and Puerto Rico and ranged in size from Lincolnwood, Ill., — population 12,359 — to New York City.