Colleges: Campus gun bill will hike security costs
COEUR d’ALENE — College and university leaders throughout Idaho say state lawmakers’ push to allow concealed weapons on college campuses will require schools to upgrade their security measures, and the cost will likely be felt by taxpayers and students.
North Idaho College officials estimate the changes could cost between $221,000 and $291,000 per year.
“These figures are very fluid as we learn more about the implications of the bill, and discuss different strategies,” said Alex Harris, the college’s director of student development.
Senate Bill 1254 would allow retired law enforcement officers and anyone holding an Idaho enhanced concealed weapons license to carry firearms on college grounds.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, already passed the Senate and is on the House State Affairs Committee agenda for Friday.
It is expected to pass the House since a failed 2011 guns on campus proposal was approved by that chamber.
The Idaho Statesman reported earlier this week that Boise State University officials say they could spend as much as $2 million a year for the next three years for security upgrades, should the law pass.
NIC officials expect to have to add 1.5 security staff positions, at a cost of $51,000. Additional training for security personnel is expected to cost $10,000. The college is also considering spending $160,000 to employ a school resource officer on campus, like the law enforcement officers stationed at the area’s public high schools.
The additional staffing will be needed, Harris said, because they anticipate more “standby calls.” He said these are calls for security personnel to stand by when someone, a faculty member or other college employee, needs to have a difficult conversation with a student.
“We expect these types of requests will increase greatly because now, this person we need to have one of those conversations with could be legally armed,” Harris said.
If NIC decides to arm its security staff, school officials anticipate spending an additional $70,000. Security personnel now carry tasers.
The estimated additional costs to arm the security staff include $3,000 for firearms and supplies; $7,000 for ballistic vests; $15,000 for ongoing training; $15,000 for overtime while training; and $30,000 for increased pay for armed officers.
“It’s certainly a lot more than purchasing handguns and sending everyone off to the firing range,” said Pat Murray, the college’s security supervisor.
Many security staff members were previously in the military or have prior law enforcement experience, Murray said, but it’s not current.
“Training is time-consuming and you have to have the manpower to support it,” he said.
Finding funding for the increased security will be a challenge for NIC and the state’s other community colleges.
NIC’s $44.8 million budget is funded by three major sources of revenue: state general funds, local property taxes, and student tuition and fees. Enrollment has declined with the recent years’ economic rebound, and with that, so have student tuition and fees. School officials are already looking at ways to cut the budget since enrollment dropped by 11 percent this year and is expected to go down another 10 percent next year.
Trustees were able to increase this year’s budget by $2.3 million without increasing local property taxes. Most of the increase came from a change in the college’s tuition structure.
They have the authority, under state law, to levy local property taxes for up to 3 percent of the budget.
The Idaho Statesman reported last week that College of Western Idaho leaders sent a letter to House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertschner stating that the college does not have “lockdown capabilities, armed security, or other resources that would be necessary to enforce the statute.” They warned the cost may be shifted to taxpayers.